Did somebody say something about not fading away?
by screaminheathen69
Summary: Sequel to 'What are we gonna do now', starts at the end of 'Not fade away'. Seems there's going to be another apocalypse. And a wedding. Crossover with Stargate SG1, Charmed, Highlander and LOTR.
1. Part I

Summary: Picks up at the end of the Angel series finale 'Not Fade Away', continuing the storyline established in my fanfic 'What are we gonna do now?'. The Highlander crossover begins in part II and the Stargate SG-1 crossover begins in part III.

Notes: Started writing this the week after the finale, took a while since I was writing part V of 'What Are We Gonna Do Now?' at the same time. Thus bringing me full circle to the ginormous headachyness. Pray tell, why does the thinking hafta hurt so much? Maybe it's just me...My thanks to MadTom, TwistedSister1962, elsawriter, Lila, pink-zelda and Marie Nomad for your reviews. They were greatly appreciated. Feedback is always of the good. And can I get an All Hail to the Goddess Willow?

Disclaimer: Still belongs to _Them. _Only thing that belongs to me are the stories that pour forth from my fevered, insomnia ravaged mind.

DID SOMEBODY SAY SOMETHING ABOUT NOT FADING AWAY? - PART I

By screaminheathen69

Chapter the First

... "I think I wanna slay the dragon."

Angel hefted his favorite broadsword and strode forward, unflinching, fully expecting that after tonight, it would finally all be over. For the first time in a very long while, Angel didn't feel like he was carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.

It was liberating.

"Let's go to work!"

He lopped the heads off two of the onrushing demons, then leaped thirty feet straight up to grab the dragon by the neck. As he started hewing away at its neck, he was grinning like an idiot, looking for all the world like he was enjoying himself.

Spike stared at him for a second, then shot Gunn and Illyria a glance. "Great sodding showoff." He put on his game face and jumped into the fray, wooden stake in one hand and a sword in the other, bellowing at the top of his lungs.

Gunn was fading fast, but he was determined to take out as many as he could before he went. He hefted his axe and stumbled forward, Illyria at his side. "You got my back, Blue?"

Illyria almost looked happy. "Indeed. Let us do more violence, in memory of Wesley."

"Abso-friggin'-lutely!"

He swung the axe as fast and hard as he could, blood and body parts flying with every stroke. Illyria fought bare handed, breaking and dismembering her foes and throwing the bloodied remains back into the onrushing horde.

From above, Angel could be heard yelling at the dragon. "Why _hack _won't _hack _you _hack _just _hack _die _hack_ dammit!" The cursing coming from Spike was far more colorful. Leaning towards blue.

"Oh crap!" Illyria heard Angels cry and looked up, then grabbed Gunn and dragged him to the side as the dragon came crashing to the ground.

Angel crawled out from under the steaming carcass of the beast, stupid grin still plastered to his face. "Always wanted to slay a dragon. Who's next? Whoops!" He ducked as an axe almost relieved him of his scalp.

"Oh."

Things got bad, then worse. Gunn passed out. Illyria caught him and held him in one arm, using his axe to fend off the tide. Angel lost his broadsword and started fighting hand to hand, losing ground fast. Spike was holding his own until a Phaloth demon snuck up behind him and impaled him with the three foot long spike jutting from it's forearm.

Two hulking Tarkummon demons were wrestling with Illyria, pushing her slowly but surely to the ground.

The Phaloth picked Spike up, still impaled, and prepared to throw him into the mass of demons.

Angel was bowled over by six demons, could see the stake coming, couldn't block it. _Oh, Hell. Wonder if this'll hurt... Good bye Nina..._

It struck him funny, for all of a split second, that it was Nina that came to mind instead of Buffy.

He closed his eyes.

Suddenly, the weight on his chest was gone. He opened his eyes, only to find he had to squint against a glare. A brilliant green glare. A hand reached out.

"Are ya gonna get up, ya dumbass, or just lay there 'n get stomped?" Dumbfounded, he recognised the voice.

"_Dawn?_"

"Yup. C'mon." She pulled him up. His broadsword came floating to his hand. He looked first at it, then her, in disbelief.

She shot him a lopsided grin. "Let's go to work." She spun back to face the horde, firing bolts of ravening green energy from her hands, incinerating groups of demons with each shot.

Angel stood there flabbergasted. _Damn. Can you believe that? _He ducked a blow from a vampire, took its head off with one swipe, and jumped back into the melee. He caught glimpses of young women in the fight, Slayers cutting a huge swath of death through the horde.

He caught sight of Faith, who threw him a shit eating grin before he lost sight of her as she jumped into the midst of a dozen vampires, the Scythe a blur of silver and red.

Caught sight of Willow, radiating white light, floating above the street as she levitated Gunn's prone form up and clear of the battle while Kennedy and Vi provided cover.

Watched Dawn blasting demon after demon, even going hand to hand with monsters three times her size, her fighting style seeming vaguely familiar. _Oh, yeah. Dragonball Z. Okay, way too much tv._

Smiled at the sound of Buffys voice right behind him. "Sheesh, you _really _pissed somebody off this time, didn't ya?"

For the next three hours, they fought back to back and side by side, sometimes joined by others (Faith, during one brief moment between waves, "Damn, Angel, is this your idea of a bachelorette party?"), mostly just the two of them taking on wave after wave of assorted Hellspawn.

Willow had placed Gunn in a stasis spell, then returned to the battle. She and Dawn waded in, bursts of blinding green and white light flaring about them, vaporising demon after demon, taking a huge toll. The Slayers plowed through the smaller demons, leaving the larger and more powerful ones to the White Witch and the Key.

Finally, in the twilight just before dawn, it ended. The good guys looked around tiredly, and there simply weren't any more enemies left to fight. A ragged cheer went up as they realised they had won.

Angel slumped against the fence, trying to stay out of the slowly rising sunlight, too tired to move. Illyria walked over and squatted down beside him. He looked at her tiredly.

"I believe we have avenged Wesley's death appropriately. It was a good battle, hard fought but ultimately ours." She was wearing that little smile she wore sometimes. It was her largest expression of happiness.

Angel nodded and rested his hand on her shoulder. "Good fight, Illyria. And thanks. Wes woulda been proud."

She cocked her head to one side, thinking. "I believe you are right. I am... pleased." She sat there, smiling her little smile, not saying anything else.

Buffy and Faith walked over to where Angel and Illyria were sitting. Dawn drifted down and landed next to them. Willow could be seen lifting Gunn's prone form down from a rooftop so that she could attempt a healing spell. Giles and Robin Wood were rounding up Slayers and tending to the wounded. Andrew was fussing over Spike. Spike was looking around for something to club Andrew with. Buffy stood there for a long minute taking in the sight of Illyria, then sheathed the katana that had been a gift from Duncan and Kate and turned to Angel.

"So, you just gonna sit there 'til the sun turns ya extra-crispy, or are ya gonna take some old friends out for a well deserved breakfast?" She stood there, wearing that silly Buffy grin, one eyebrow raised.

Slowly, Angel started chuckling, then broke out laughing. He couldn't help it, his relief was so great.

The fight wasn't finished, not by a damn sight. But he felt hope for the first time in a long while.

And hope, as the ArchDuke had said, hope is a powerful thing.

Chapter the Second

One very large bill at Denny's later (Giles wound up having to pay; Angel's Wolfram & Hart credit cards had already been canceled), the group had made their way back to the Hyperion to figure out the next step. And to make use of the showers. Angel had slipped in and relit the hot water heaters before they went to eat. He hadn't been back to the Hyperion since the debacle with Glory. He couldn't bring himself to go there, it reminded him to strongly of what he felt was a massive failure on his part to protect the people that Glory had butchered.

Angel, Buffy, Faith, Dawn, Willow, Kennedy, Spike, Andrew, Illyria, Wood, Giles, and Xander were sitting in the lobby. Gunn was upstairs, deep in a healing trance that Willow and Giles had induced. The Slayers were hitting the showers and raiding closets for clean clothes while the Scoobies and what was left of the Fang Gang got caught up.

Xander, as usual, got the ball rolling. "Sooo, DeadBoy. You still know just the right way to piss off all the right people, don't ya?"

Angel shot him an acid look. "I see Scraggle-Beard the Pirate over there still has a firm grasp of the obvious." Xander had taken to wearing a goatee in recent months. It wasn't filling in as well as he'd hoped.

Andrew giggled. "Scraggle-Beard. I like that one. Ow..." Xander smacked him in the back of the head.

Angel laughed, then sobered. "Yeah, well, that was the plan."

"What, to get yourselves backed into an alley facing a gimongous demon horde?" Buffy snorted. "Niiiice plan."

"Well, no, not that part. Cordy gave me a vision of what was going on, and what we had to do. Mess with the Senior Partners, screw up their plans for the Apocalypse, generally get 'em off track and mad. That's what we set out to do, and that's what we did."

"Worked a charm, it did," Spike said. "Cost us Percy, though." Standing over in the corner, Illyria shot Spike a dirty look. "Sorry, Blue. No disrespect meant to Wes."

She cocked her head and stared at him for a long moment. "I know. I am simply trying to understand this empty feeling I have. It is as though I have lost a part of myself. It is not logical."

Spike and Angel both spoke at once. "Yes, it is."

Faith was trying to hide the fact that she'd been crying. The news of Wesley's death had hit her harder than she thought possible. She turned away as tears threatened again.

Buffy didn't quite know how to handle Illyria. They had known that something bad had happened to Fred, but hadn't known the extent of it. She'd only known Fred for a short time, but had taken to her right away. She was so much like Willow, it was impossible not to like her right off. But now, Fred was gone, and here was this Old One, this God in human form that still looked so very much like Fred. It was definitely wiggins-inducing.

"So what's the story, Angel? Why pick the big fight with the Senior Partners? I thought you were all corporate-ized and Mr. Happy CEO these days."

"Happy? Not hardly. Why pick a fight? We finally figured out what they were up to, and why they lured us in. Didn't like it much, decided it was time to make a stand. We lost too much already. And too many friends. Doyle. Cordy. Fred. And now Wes."

Spike nodded. "They wanted us t' just fade away. Wasn't happenin'. I don't - no, _we _don't fade away. Better to go out in a blaze o' glory, an' all that." He sighed. "Ain't gonna fade away..."

Angel and Spike shared a look, understanding each other. "Right."

Angel turned back to Buffy. "How'd you know where we were, anyway? We didn't exactly advertise what we had planned for tonight."

"The Coven," said Willow. "They knew something big was going down a couple of days ago, they just weren't sure what or when. They put the word out to Buffy and Giles, and they started tracking all of us down. When they finally narrowed it down, we teleported into the alley."

Dawn piped up. "Just in time to save your broody butt, too."

"Thanks for that, by the way."

"Fugeddaboudit."

Buffy elbowed her sister in the ribs. "Okay, no more 'Sopranos' for you."

Willow scrunched down into the couch. "I'm just sorry we weren't in time to save Wesley. We couldn't sort out what was going on, there was some sort of cloaking spell blocking us. It wasn't until all the nasties started converging in the alley behind the hotel that we could get a lock on you, and then we got here as fast as we could from where we had gathered in Cleveland."

"Hey, gift horse, mouth, et cetera. I'm grateful you guys came at all. Last time I talked to Giles, I got the idea that you guys didn't care too much any more."

"Er, yes, sorry about that. You caught me at rather an awkward moment, and I had to cover myself. By the time the situation was resolved, it was too late to do anything. I truly am very sorry, Angel. We all liked Fred a great deal." He glanced at Illyria. "Um, no offense."

"None taken. I have grown accustomed to remarks of that sort."

"Er, well, all right then." He was cleaning his glasses furiously.

_You'd think he'd wear the lenses out as often as he polishes those things, _thought Angel.

Buffy sat down next to Angel. "Fact is, after things got going with Glory, we did kinda cut you outa the loop. But because we didn't trust Wolfram & Hart, not because we didn't trust you guys. We thought there was a leak when Glory kept tracking us down so quickly. And then, well... when we started hearing about some of what went on at that place, and some of what was going on with you guys... well, we kinda freaked out. Thought maybe you'd gone over. We were wrong, and I'm sorry."

"Oh."

Buffy spread her arms and made with the puppy dog eyes. "Still friends?"

"Oh, what the Hell, I guess so." Grinning, he drew her into a hug. After a minute, she pulled away from him, stood, and walked over to Spike.

"You too, Mr. Back-From-the-Dead-Again?"

Spike pretended to think about it for a few seconds. Hafta keep up appearances and all that. "I s'pose. Don't have s'many friends that I c'n afford to turn any of 'em away." He hugged her fiercely.

"I've missed you, you big ol' Billy Idol wannabe."

He smirked. "Good."

For once, there was none of the usual tension between Angel and Spike concerning Buffy. For now, at least, they had made their peace where she was concerned. And Angel had Nina now.

As the freshly showered Slayers started coming down into the lobby a few at a time, Angel's mind turned back to the Senior Partners. The Good Guys had won this round, but there was no way the war was over yet.

"Well guys and gals, as much as I'd like to sit here and get all caught up on the gossip, I think we really should get outta here pretty soon. The Senior Partners'll regroup before too long, and this place is kinda obvious."

Giles stood up. "Well, some of the Slayers are going back to Cleveland to keep watch on the Hellmouth. It's been strangely quiet of late, so of course we assume that something terrible is in the offing. The rest of us have some business to take care of while we're stateside, then we'll be heading back to Devon." He was smiling at Faith as he said the last.

She was beaming, leaning against her fiance'. "Right. And you're all officially invited to come with."

Angel was pleased, but puzzled. "Thanks. Why?"

"Nuthin' much, A. But you kinda hafta come, unless you just don't wanna be there for the wedding. Then I'd hafta get somebody else to give me away."

"Oh." A smile crept slowly across his face. "Oh!"

He went over and hugged Faith and shook Robin's hand. "Consider this my R.S.V.P."

"Kewl. Hey, any chance that Connor could come? I know me an' him mostly just butted heads, but I did kinda like the kid. And it'd be wicked great if we could get Lorne to sing for us!"

"Umm, you remember Connor?"

"Yeah, why wouldn't I?" Faith quirked an eyebrow.

"Long story. For later. Connor, well, maybe. I'll hafta go ask him. He's got that whole 'regular life' thing going these days. As for Lorne well..." He and Spike traded looks. "Lorne, well, Lorne's gone. And he pretty specifically asked that we not try to find him. Ever."

"Oh. Sorry. Well, ask Connor at least."

"I will."

"Great."

"Of course, there's this little problem with the Senior Partners. You know, the one where they're really pissed? I want to be there, but what if their flunkies show up? Could cause... complications."

Faith gave an exagerrated shrug. "So, we'll sick Dawnie on 'em. She'll give 'em a wicked ass kickin', they'll turn tail an' run, no more problem."

"It's so nice to be wanted," Dawn said, rolling her eyes.

"Aw, Dawnie, ya know I love ya..."

"You _can _be zapped, ya know." Dawn flexed her right index finger, and a curl of green energy twisted around it before disappearing with a pop. "Just think. Cajun-Fried-Slayer."

Faith held her hands up in an 'I surrender' gesture, then turned back to Angel. "So. Comin'?"

"Yes. Wouldn't miss it."

"Kewl."

"Oh, umm, can I, uhh, bring a date?"

Spike thought that he might actually die laughing at the expressions on the faces of the Scooby Gang.

Angel just stood there, a sheepish expression on his face as he told them about his werewolf girlfriend.

Chapter the Third

They spent a week in LA, taking care of business and catching up with family and friends.

First things first. Angel had Illyria take him to where she'd stashed Wesley's body. Angel had insisted that they return Wes to his home, and Giles had agreed. When Angel called Wes' father, the old Watcher had broken down completely. He had been a lousy father, and knew it, but that in no way meant that he didn't love his son. The news of his death was almost more than he could take.

They'd taken Wes' body to a mortician that Angel knew and had him prepared for his final voyage home. Faith had gone along, and stood vigil outside the embalming room. She insisted on helping carry the casket when they left. Angel had been somewhat puzzled by her actions, and said so. Faith shrugged one shoulder. "He had faith in me. I owe him almost as much as I owe you." Angel nodded. He knew where she was coming from. Redemption was hard enough. Having someone believe in you was a marvelous gift.

* * *

Angel led a group back to the ruin that had been the L.A. branch of Wolfram & Hart to recover whatever they could. He and Giles led teams through the wreckage looking for files, weapons, mystical objects, or anything else that could be useful to them or dangerous in the wrong hands. 

Angel managed to recover a few of his personal belongings, but very little remained. But mostly, he was hunting for a certain contract. One that he had recently signed in his own blood. He was clinging to the hope that there might be a loophole. After all there were _always _loopholes in contracts, right? But no trace was found. Lots of other stuff, though. Giles, Bethany and Willow were _ooohing _and _aaahhhing _over the various mystical texts and objects that had been found.

* * *

Buffy and Dawn spent a day with their dad, it having been rather a long time since they'd visited. When he angrily demanded to know what had been going on, they told him. 

Everything.

Everything about demons, magic, Gods, Goddesses, werewolves and numerous other things that go bump in the night. They told him about Slayers and the Key. About the Master, and the Mayor. About Angel and Angelus. About Glory and the First. They told him about dying and ressurection, and Heaven and Hell. Every single thing that had happened over the last eight years.

He hadn't believed them, of course. So, they set about showing him. Buffy had picked him up and tossed him into the air as though he were light as a feather. Dawn had caught him with her Power and lowered him back into his chair. After flipping him over a few times.

Hank sat there, not speaking, not blinking, for ten minutes. Finally, he said one word. "Wow."

Buffy arched an eyebrow. "'Wow'? That's it? 'Wow'?"

Her father looked at her, his eyes glazed. "Still processing. Not sure what to say."

"Just do me a favor and don't freak out like mom did. Been there, so _very _done that."

"Well, geez, Buffy. You and Spike _did _dust a vamp right in front of her. Hence, the wiggins," said Dawn .

"Well, yeah, there was that..."

* * *

Xander spent an afternoon at the DMV getting his liscence renewed, and was predictably crabby when he got back to the hotel that evening. In spite of the fact that he passed. "The line from Hell, I tell ya! No, wait, correction; the line _to _Hell. With suitably evil Hellish types at the end of said line."

* * *

Willow tried to get ahold of her parents, but as usual, they were out of the country. "It's been so long since I've seen them, I'm having trouble remembering what they look like." 

Xander patted her hand. "Well, what'd ya expect? They always were away more than they were home. Hell, they didn't even know Sunnydale had turned into the Crater from Hell until they almost drove over the edge."

Kennedy nodded and wrapped an arm around Willow. "What about you, Xander? Gonna try to find your parents while you're in-country?"

Xander shuddered. "Not only no, but Hell no. Even if I did, they probably wouldn't recognise me through the booze. Nah, my family's right here. I've got sisters, brothers, and even a father-type person all right here. Let the drunks go be drunks without me."

From behind Xander, Giles spoke up. "Father-type-person, eh? I'm flattered. I think."

"Oh, umm, yeah, didn't see ya there G-Man. I, uhh, I meant 'old enough to _be _my father', yeah, that's it..."

Giles just smiled and nodded. "Sure..."

* * *

Angel took Buffy, Dawn, Willow, Giles and Xander to visit Cordelia's grave. He had recounted some of the experiences the Fang Gang had been through, and how it had been Cordy that had always managed to hold them together. 

"Cordy. Shallow, vain, mean, sarcastic, probably the single most self obsessed person I've ever met in my life, Cordy. She became one of the most focussed people I've ever known. She took up the mission, and had the strength to keep us on track even through the agony the visions caused her. She was our anchor. She was our guiding force. She was a Helluva dresser." He sighed, laying a hand on her headstone.

"I miss her."

Later, as the rest of the group was leaving, Xander knealt down by Cordy's grave. "Hey there, Queen C. I always knew you had it in you. That there was more to you than just 'Queen C'. And I was right. You did good. I hope you're happy now. Wherever you are. And I hope you're at peace."

Wiping a tear from his eye, he followed his friends back out into the harshness of the real world. The world without Cordy, without Anya.

Some days were just too much.

* * *

Buffy, Dawn, Willow and Kennedy dragged Faith out on a shopping expedition. Faith didn't have a gown yet, and the girls decided that that simply wasn't acceptable. Faith had shrugged. "Kinda figured my body would reject a white gown, B." 

Dawn snorted. "You got that right..."

Buffy and Willow both smacked her in back of her head. "Don't start."

"Sorry, sorry..."

"'Sides, I've been thinkin' along the lines of bridesmaids."

Dawn perked up. "Really?"

"Yup. 'Course, that means bridesmaids dresses, too..."

Dawn's eyes got huge, and Buffy could be heard muttering "God help us..."

* * *

It took two days to find Nina, as she had taken her family into hiding. Giles assigned four Slayers and a witch to keep watch over them until some method of permanent protection could be sorted out. 

Nina came to stay with Angel at the Hyperion, and was looking forward to a trip to England. Angel had felt awkward introducing her to his old friends, especially Buffy. The two blondes stood there for a minute, sizing each other up. Nina spoke up first. "Ya know, Wes always did say that Angel had a thing for the hot blondes."

"Yup. And hey, who can blame him? Just look at the hotness that is us!"

They spent the rest of the evening chatting away like old friends.

Angel wasn't quite sure if that was good or bad...

* * *

There were at least a dozen attacks on Angel and the rest of his group during the course of the week, all successfully fought off. Illyria had taken to standing guard in the shadows by the entrance to the lobby, and had stopped three more attempts before they had a chance to get started. 

Spike couldn't get over how powerful Dawn and Willow had become. They'd zapped a group of vampires that had jumped the three of them before Spike had time to react. "Bollocks. I'm outa th' loop f'r a year, 'n you two've become bloody superheroes. 'Ow's a bloke s'posed t' keep up?"

Willow and Dawn traded grins, then each took Spike by the arm and steered him towards the Hyperion. Dawn leaned close and whispered in his ear. "Don't even try, Spikey. You'll just get embarrassed."

* * *

Angel found Faith in the lobby one morning, practicing with the Scythe. He watched for a while, admiring how powerful and graceful her moves had become. It seemed she had finally found her focus. When she stopped to catch her breath, she saw him standing there and nodded. "Angel. What's up?" 

"Nothing much. Just takin' in the show." Faith grinned. "When did you get the Scythe?"

"After they got back from Khazakstan, Buffy came to Cleveland and gave it to me. Said she figured that since I was the Slayer in charge of guarding the Hellmouth, I should be the one to have the Scythe. Thought it'd be more useful. I couldn't argue."

"Makes sense."

"Besides, she and Dawnie were gettin' ready to jet off to Rome so's Dawn could start school. Buffy figured she was due for a vacation."

"I can understand that." Angel nodded at the Scythe, raising his eyebrows questioningly. Faith shrugged and tossed it to him.

"Knock yourself out."

"Thanks." He gave it a few experimental swings, being careful to keep the stake-end away from himself. "So, is that when she met the Immortal?"

"Oh, no, you're not dragging me into that. You wanna know about B 'n him, you ask B. Okay?"

"Yeah, fine, no big. Just curious. Nina. I'm with Nina. Happy with Nina. Just curious."

"Uh huh."

Angel tossed the weapon back to Faith. "Fine. Sorry I asked." He walked away mumbling. "Ask a simple question, just curious, get your head bit off, geez..."

Faith snickered and went back to her practice.

* * *

Connor stopped in several times to visit, and had agreed to come to Devon for the wedding. He told his 'parents' that he was going as part of a summer student exchange program that Angel had arranged. They were still somewhat oblivious to the reality that their 'son' was a part of. 

"Have a wonderful time, Connor. Send us a postcard!"

He felt a little guilty about lying to them, but felt it was for the best. And besides, he and Angel were finally on good terms, and he wanted to keep it that way.

Plus, if he didn't go, he'd miss out on the golden opportunity to make fun of his father dancing at the reception.

And that would just be wrong...

* * *

At the end of the week, a Watcher by the name of Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart showed up to take charge of the Slayers in LA. Once again, Angel had offered the Hyperion as a base of operations. 

Lethbridge-Stewart, stuffy sounding though his name was, turned out to be an easy going and affable fellow, and everybody took an instant liking to him. This pleased Giles immensely, since they were old friends. He'd hoped that Alistair's easy going personality would make it easier for him to fit in here than it had been for Giles himself. Beneath the affability, he was fiercely protective of the Slayers and witches under his care, and would fight like a lion to take care of them.

* * *

The bags were packed, the farewells had been made, and the next stop was Cleveland to drop off the Slayers that were returning to keep watch on the Hellmouth. 

Giles and Alistair were standing by the reception desk, watching and listening to the (more or less) controlled insanity of luggage being manhandled and people preparing to load up for the trip to the airport.

Angel was standing by the door with Nina. "Hey! Captain Peroxide! Here's a blanket, unless ya just _want _to go up in flames... actually, never mind..."

"Sod off, Peaches."

"Angel, why does he call you 'Peaches'?"

"Ummm... long story. Ask me some other time."

"'Ere, luv, let me tell ya all 'bout it..." Spike studiously ignored the growling coming from Angel.

Buffy threw her suitcase onto the ever growing pile. "Is this everything? We all packed? Where's Dawn?"

"I think she's still packing, Buffy," Willow called from where she was carefully tagging a crate full of various magical objects.

"Oh, you've gotta be kidding me! We've only known for, like, three _days _that we were leaving today. Dawn! If you're not down here in five, you can just fly your green glowy self to Cleveland on your own!"

"Bite me!" Dawn's answer came floating down.

Willow was walking past Faith, and couldn't resist. "Hey Faith, didja remember to pack the dress? Or did it disintegrate when you had the final fitting yesterday?"

"Yes, I packed it. No, it didn't disintrgrate. And by the way, kiss my ass, Red."

Willow shot Kennedy a grin, then chased a cursing Faith around the lobby making smooching sounds. Robin laughed himself out of breath.

"The van's here!" Rona called from her post by the door.

"Oh crap! Already? Angel, we need another crate for the weapons..."

As Kennedy and Vi hustled off with Gunn to find a suitably large box in the basement, Giles laughed quietly and turned to his old friend.

"They're insane. The lot of them."

"Yes. Wouldn't give it up for anything, would you?"

Giles thought for a second. "Could easily do without any more apocalypses, but otherwise, no. I suppose I wouldn't."

"Thought so."

They shook hands, and Alistair took Giles' hand in both of his. "I'll take good care of them, Ripper. Don't you worry."

"I know you will. Just keep your eyes open, old friend. Never know when the errant Hellgoddess might sneak up on you."

"I know a few wards that ought to help out with things like that. Rather hope I never need to test them, but all the same."

Giles nodded and walked over to the doors, where Angel and Spike were daring each other to run out to the van without a blanket. Giles looked at them, squinted up at the bright noonday sun, then back at them. Spike stopped goading Angel. "What?"

"I'll put twenty on Spike. Any takers?"

Spike snickered as Angel's jaw dropped.

A lot of money exchanged hands that afternoon.

Chapter the Fourth

They stayed in Cleveland for three days, mostly to make sure the hellmouth wasn't acting up, before moving on to New York. Rona had decided to stay, so Faith gave her the Scythe before she left. "Kinda like B said, here's where the action is. Kinda hopin' I ain't gonna need it, what with the weddin' an' all."

Spike wanted to go to the Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame while they were there. It turned into a group outing.

While in New York, Kennedy took Willow to meet her family. They accepted her warmly, and they spent a pleasant afternoon getting aquainted. After berating Kennedy for not keeping in touch more often.

When they got back to the hotel that night, Willow was still in awe. "Goddess, Buffy, I knew her family had money, but _damn. _I think we could pack half of Sunnydale into just the west wing..."

The next day, they loaded onto a private plane that Giles had chartered, and they were finally off for England. It was a long flight, so the Scoobies and the remains of the Fang Gang spent it getting caught up. Angel and his crew hadn't heard the full story of what had happened with Glory yet. Dawn took great pleasure in filling them in.

"You blew up half a _mountain_?" Spike's eyes were about to bug out. Angel was just sitting there slackjawed.

"Yup." Dawn was smirking. She snapped her fingers. "Zap!"

Willow nudged her in the ribs. "Yeah, but there was just a little bit more to the story than that."

"Pick pick pick. Okay, so she came back and zapped everybody unconscious. We still kicked her scrawny butt. And closed a Hellmouth. Key-Girl and The Red Witch." She held her hand up and Willow gave her a high five.

Gunn grinned, shaking his head. "Girl's got some mad skills." Willow shot him a glance. "Sorry; both y'all got some mad skills."

Illyria 'harrumphed'. "In my time, such power was so commonplace as to be inconsequential. I myself could-"

"'Ere, Blue Belle, we all know things were better in 'your time'. It's their time now. Deal with it." Spike's tone was sarcastic, but there was understanding in his eyes.

Illyria looked as though she wanted to argue the point, but changed the subject instead.

"You say this Hellgoddess, this 'Beast', her name was Glorificus?"

Willow nodded. "Yup."

"I believe I met her once."

Buffy's head popped up from behind Illyria's seat. "When?"

Illyria closed her eyes, remembering. "Long, long ago. It was she that gave me the idea to attempt training those that you call dinosaurs to be my minions. It was something of a failure. I have long hoped to meet her again to express my dissatisfaction with her. It is not an unappealing thing, you having destroyed her. She was a nuisance."

Illyria opened her eyes and nodded once to Dawn and Willow. "Well done."

"Um, thanks," said Willow.

"Yeah, I find it pretty non-unappealing myself," said Dawn.

"As well you should." Illyria turned and stared out the window, having said all she wished to say.

Spike was chuckling. "Ya get used to 'er after a bit, Bit. Tell me more 'bout this 'Demon Duster Blast' of yers..."

Angel nodded. "Yeah. And why don't you just call it the 'Kamehameha'? You _know _you want to."

"Didn't wanna get sued. You know, copy-right infringement and all that."

Buffy popped her head over the seat again. "Besides, she would've been forever branded as a DBZ Geek." She ducked the Coke can Dawn threw at her, giggling.

"Nuthin' wrong with that, right Andrew?" Xander nudged Andrew.

"Nope. Goku rules."

"Not sure if I wanna see Dawn go all Super Saiyan Four, though. I'm thinkin' the tail-and-fur look, not all that attractive on our Dawnie." Andrew had picked up the entire Dragonball GT series on DVD while in LA, and a marathon viewing had ensued. Buffy had eaten two entire bowls of popcorn by herself.

"Super Saiyan Three maybe, all golden haired and glowy. She's already got the blue eyes," said Angel, earning himself a few surprised looks. "What? Gave myself away a while ago when I asked her about the Kamehameha Wave, so what's with all the shocked faces now?"

Robin spoke up from the rear of the plane. "Okay, it's official; _waaayyyy _too much time in front of the boob tube with this group. Gonna have to institute some rules."

Faith poked him in the ribs. "Oh, sure. Seems I recall you going through a whole bag of Twizzlers when you were rooting for Gohan during the DBGT-athon the other night."

"Hafta be sociable."

"Uh huh."

"Well, I do."

"Sure."

"Just want to be friends with your friends."

"Riiiight."

"Okay, fine, Gohan is God. Cut me some slack."

Faith smirked and cracked open another beer.

It was an interesting flight.

_To Be Continued_

Okay, this part is kinda small, wanted to get it done and sent in before I go on vacation. Oh, Glorious and Most Blessed Vacation! Ahem... Anyway, started this the night of the second airing of 'Not Fade Away', but stopped to finish part V of 'What Are We Gonna Do Now?'. Something about 'conflicting brainstorms'. Oy.

Many thanks to all of you that sent me feedback, it definitely fed the fires! And yes, I'm channeling 'Dragonball' again. My son and I had just watched 'Dragonball GT : Generations' when I started writing chapter four. It was sorta stuck in my brain. Poor brain.

And just for the bloody Hell of it, did any of you notice my little nod to 'Doctor Who'?

Feedback, as always, is of the good. Later ;)

_'To thee no star be dark"_


	2. Part II

Summary: The gang goes to England. Angst and silliness ensue. (What'd ya expect? It's still the Buffyverse...)

Crossover: Highlander, Stargate SG-1

Notes: If you haven't read part I of this story or my first story 'What are we gonna do now, it'd probably be helpful if you did. As I know next to nothing about London, Devon, Rome or their general environs, I'll pretty much be making it up as I go. And if I get any of it right, then yay me! Feedback, please, it's a wonderful thing! All Hail the Goddess Willow.

Disclaimer: Yea verily, all doth belongeth to those that didst create Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Highlander, Stargate SG-1 and any other works of fiction that mayest be mentioned herein. Not to us poor souls that are, well, poor. They didst create, and then they didst take it away. _Grrrrrrrr_...

DID SOMEBODY SAY SOMETHING ABOUT NOT FADING AWAY? PART II

By screaminheathen69

Chapter the First

When the plane landed at Heathrow, it was after dark, so Angel and Spike didn't have to worry about getting singed. Spike was still trying to get the smell out of his duster from when he and Angel had raced to the van when they left the Hyperion. Spike had won the race. Giles had cleaned up. Angel was still grumbling. Not quite brooding, but grumbling.

They were staying in London for the night, figuring to head on to Devon in the morning. Spike, predictably, wanted to hit a few nightspots before turning in. "Aw, c'mon luv, it's not but nine thirty, the night's not even begun yet!"

Dawn nodded vigorously. "Right! Dancing, very much the necessity."

Kennedy and Willow wanted to join them, and a few others in the group seemed interested too.

Buffy and Angel shared a tired look. Buffy sighed. "Okay, fine, go make with the dancy goodness. But remember what happened the _last _time this group went out clubbing? Please to _not _be making with the repeat performance."

Spike threw his arms across Willow and Dawn's shoulders. "Relax, pet, what's the worst that c'n happen when we've got the Red Witch and Super Bit with us?"

Dawn poked him in the ribs. "That's 'Key-Girl' to you."

"Oi. Sorry 'bout that, Nibblet. Out o' th' loop for a bit, 'aven't got all the new nicknames down yet."

Dawn sniffed regally. "I shall forgive you. Just this once."

Buffy rolled her eyes. "Okay, so we go get checked in, and then you kiddies can go boogie oogie oogie 'til ya just can't boogie no more."

She turned to go and caught Angel humming the tune she'd just mentioned quietly to himself. "Oh, God, don't tell me you're a disco fan too!"

He shot her an arch look. "Everybody's always bad mouthing the Seventies. There was a lot of great stuff that came out of the Seventies."

She snorted. "Like what, sans-a-belt slacks?"

"Oooo, and leisure suits!" chimed in Willow.

"Guys getting permanents," said Faith, with just a touch of a shudder.

"Polyester everything," said Xander.

"Pet Rocks," said Nina.

"Pop rocks," said Gunn.

"Oh, and let's not forget those huge collars," said Vi.

"And, God help us, Barry Manilow," said Andrew.

Angel picked up his and Nina's bags and headed for the waiting courtesy bus, broody face in place. "Here's my ass. You all know what to do."

Amidst all the chuckles, Illyria stood there looking confused. In typical Hell God fashion, she didn't much care for the being confused. It confused her.

"Exactly what is it that we are supposed to do?"

Spike, being Spike, told her. She quirked an eyebrow, then purposefully strode off after Angel. Buffy watched her go. "You don't think she'd actually-"

From outside, Angel could be heard yelling. Spike was beside himself. "Yup."

"Illyria, what the Hell are you doing? Wait! Hold it! My _pants_!"

Buffy sprinted toward the door. "Oh, I have _got _to see this!"

Dawn took off after her, followed closely by Nina. "Wait, Buffy, I've got my camera!"

Connor looked at Willow, shrugged, and ran after Dawn. Like he'd miss this.

Willow walked over to where Spike had collapsed to the floor. "You just had to do it, didn't you?"

"Moral imperative, Red," Spike gasped out between spasms of laughter. "Some things simply must be done."

From outside, Buffy and Nina could be heard trying to coax Illyria into giving Angel his pants back. There were several flashes as Dawn snapped off picture after picture. The rest of the group had gathered by the window to get a gander at the show outside. Giles, who had been on the phone through all of this, walked out the door completely oblivious to what was going on.

"What's going on out here? Oh, I say..."

Spike finally managed to pull himself back to his feet. He rubbed his hands together. "Well, time to go then. Night's still young!"

Chapter the second

Spike was standing by the door, bouncing on his toes, a look of barely restrained impatience on his face. "Oh, c'mon you lot! If we don't get a move on, the band'll be done 'fore we get there!" He had discovered that a Ramones tribute band was playing nearby, so of course, that's where he wanted to go. And that that was where they should all go, to , as he put it, 'Get educated about _real _music'.

Dawn, sitting in the chair next to the door, rolled her eyes. "Chill, Spike. You know us female types, hafta make with the beautification."

"Yeah, I know. But this is ridiculous. And you're ready, why ain't they?"

"I'm just good," she smirked.

"I'll bet," Spike muttered under his breath.

"Sorry? What was that?"

"Never mind..."

Dawn's smirk got smirkier. It was always fun messing with Spike. "Besides, I think it's actually Angel that's holding things up."

"What, did Captain Forehead run out o' gel? Had ta run down t' the apothecary t' get some product did 'e?"

"Dunno. Besides, if he did run out, all he'd hafta do is stick his finger in a light socket and have somebody hit him with some hairspray."

Spike chuckled at that thought. "Interestin' idea, that. Might have to try it sometime."

"Try what?" Buffy asked as she entered the room.

"Err, nothin'. Just chattin'."

Buffy quirked an eyebrow at the giggling duo. "Uh huh."

Nina came through the door, then stopped and looked back over her shoulder. "You look fine. Come on."

"No. I look ridiculous," came Angel's plaintive voice.

"No, you don't. Now come on."

"Alright, alright." Angel stepped slowly into the room. He was wearing tan Dockers and a pink shirt. He looked distinctly uncomfortable.

Spike lost it. "Oi! I've been right all these years! You great bloody p-"

"SPIKE!" Angels eyes were yellowing. "Don't! Start! With! Me!"

"But-"

"Don't!"

"But-"

Angel growled. Spike subsided into giggles, trying to look anywhere but at his Grand-Sire. Dawn wasn't laughing, but it was obvious she was fighting it. Angel turned to Buffy, only to see she was stifling laughter as well. He turned back to Nina. "I'm sorry, but this just isn't gonna work." He nearly sprinted back into his room to change.

Nina shrugged. "Oh well, it was worth a try."

Buffy bit back a laugh, shaking her head. "Nice try, but Angel, pretty much with the gray and black. Occasionally red. But pink? Not so much."

Nina snickered. "I know. But I just had to see if I could get a rise out of him. Probably just made him broodier though."

Spike dug around in his coat pocket, then handed Nina an envelope. "If y' wanna get a rise outta 'im, just pass these around later."

Nina opened the envelope and pulled out one of the pictures it held. She started laughing. "Oh, geez, you wanna start a riot?"

Spike just nodded, smirk firmly in place. Buffy and Dawn walked over. "What is it?" Buffy asked.

Dawn looked over Nina's shoulder. "What's with the Muppet that looks like Angel?"

Chapter the Third

The night out went off without a hitch. More or less. If you count three fights, five black eyes, and a broken finger as without a hitch, that is.

Two of the fights were between Angel and Spike. The third turned into a full blown bar brawl when Spike overheard a guy bad mouthing the Ramones. The night took a slight downturn after that.

Spike and Faith enjoyed themselves immensely.

When everyone got back to the hotel, Giles was sitting in the lobby talking with Olivia. He burst out laughing at the sight of the motley looking group as they dragged through the doors. "Good Lord, did you lot leave anyone alive?"

Buffy shot Spike a dirty look. "Yes. Although there's a certain undead individual that'd better watch his back for a while."

Spike affected an innocent expression. "Hey, luv, was just defendin' th' honor of th' greatest band there ever was!"

Xander smacked Spike upside the head as he walked past. "Fine. Just defend it without dragging the rest of us into it the next time, okay Dead-Boy-Jr.?"

"Don't be callin' me 'Dead-Boy', ya daft git. 'E's Dead-Boy." He jerked a thumb in Angel's direction.

"Great. The Peroxide Wonder is cranky 'cause I called him Dead-Boy. I'm all a twitter with fear and worry." Xander emphasised his point by yawning loudly and stumbling off to his room before the blossoming shiner blocked his vision completely.

Spike started to retort. Buffy shot him a look and wagged a warning finger at him. "Oh fine then. I'm goin' to bed." He grumped off to his room. Angel started to mouth off, but Buffy just pointed at him, too. He grumbled off to bed, Nina smirking behind him.

Buffy looked at Giles. "Kids. Can't take 'em anywhere."

He laughed. "Welcome to my world. Good night. all." He and Olivia headed off to his room.

Buffy followed after, grumbling. Connor stood there for a minute, laughing quietly. "Is it always like this?"

Dawn, sitting half asleep on the steps nearby, stirred. "Like what?"

"This. They're like a bunch of kids. Especially Dad and Spike. It's..."

"What?"

"Hilarious."

Dawn grinned a little. "Yeah, I know. Although I've never been able to decide what's funnier; Spike arguing with Angel, Spike arguing with Xander, or Xander arguing with Angel. If the three of them ever got going at once, I figure the world'll probably explode or sumthin'."

Connor thought about that for a moment, then chuckled. "We could probably sell tickets. We'd clean up."

"Always of the good is the money." Dawn held out her hand. "Give a tired gal a hand up, would ya?"

Connor took her hand and pulled her to her feet. "I thought you could, like, fly and stuff."

"Yup. But not tonight. Key-Girl the Exhausted, that's me."

"Kewl. That means I can be all gallant and escort you to your room." He offered his arm, which she took.

"If you're making a pass, I'm too tired to respond, ya know." She gave a mighty yawn.

"'Salright. I'll consider this a practice run."

"Okey-dokey."

"Hey, um, Dawn?"

"Yeah?"

"You don't know if we'll have to, like, waltz or anything at the reception do you?"

Dawn stopped in her tracks, nearly toppling them both. "Waltz? What waltz? Did somebody say something about waltzing?" The expression on her face was somewhere between worried and horrified.

"Um, Spike did. But most of the time I can't tell if he's kidding or not."

Dawn scrunched up her face. "I'll find out." She gave an even mightier yawn. "But maybe I'll do it in the morning." They finished the walk to dawn's room with her grumbling. "Waltz. Better _not_ be serious. Not gonna do some stupid fruity waltz..."

Chapter the Fourth

Four days later, Buffy, Xander and Willow met at Giles' house. Xander was showing them what he had gotten Faith and Robin for a wedding present. Buffy and Willow exchanged looks.

Willow quirked an eyebrow. "Gee, Xan, where'd ya find that at? Cheap Crap dot Com?" She ignored Buffy's snort.

"Ha. Ha. Funny. And no, didn't find anything there worth getting. Don'tcha think she'll like it?"

Willow shrugged. "Anything is possible. I mean, c'mon; Faith's getting _married_. Next thing ya know, there'll be leprechauns showing up."

Giles spoke up from where he'd been listening. "Oh, dear Lord, I hope not. Vile, loathesome little creatures. Nothing but trouble, the lot of them."

Buffy stared at Giles, trying to decide if he was joking or not. Judging by the look of revulsion on his face, he wasn't. "Oooookay, that's a story for another day. What'd ya wanna see us about, O Wise Watcher Man?"

"Well, I've had a call from Joe Dawson, asking if we'd mind getting back to that little job he'd asked us to do now that we're done saving the world. Again."

Buffy pouted. "Oh, man, I was hoping I was done with that gropy little Immortal."

"Oh, come on Buff, was it really that bad?" asked Willow.

"Yes! I swear, that guy has more hands than an octopus! And if you remind me that octopusses don't have hands, I swear I won't be held accountable for my actions."

"Octopi," said Giles.

"_Grrrrr_," said Buffy.

"You're the one that wanted me to continue teaching you, my dear. Just trying to do my job."

"Oh, never mind. How much more does Joe need?" Buffy crossed her arms and continued pouting.

"He has most of what they were looking for, but they still need more information about the timing." Giles poured himself a scotch and shooed Xander out of his favorite chair.

"I guess I can head back to Rome for a few days." She turned to Willow. "So when's the bachelorette party?"

"Not for another coupla weeks, anyway. Still trying to get it all planned out," Willow said.

"How hard is it to plan?" asked Xander. "Booze, snacks, music, the traditional stripper, party hearty. There, it's all planned out."

"You'd think so, wouldn't ya? It just seems to have taken on a life of its own. I think several laws may get shattered..."

Giles raised an eyebrow, bur refrained from commenting. "So, Buffy, when can you be ready to go?"

"In the morning, I guess. I'll go make with the packing fun when we leave here."

"Good. Joe said that Duncan, Kate and another Watcher are already in Rome. I'll give you their number."

"'Slayer Watcher' or 'Immortal Watcher'?"

"Immortal. Apparently she's the one that figured out that your friend-"

"So _not _my friend," Buffy interrupted.

"-was up to something," Giles finished, ignoring the interruption. "Rather sharp young woman, as I understand it. Kaithlynn Lockley."

Buffy nodded, getting up. "Well, at least it'll be nice to see Duncan and Kate again. C'mon, Wills, you can help me pack. And help deal with Dawn..."

Willow rolled her eyes. "Oh, happy happy, joy joy..."

Chapter the Fifth

Buffy was trying to stare down her sister. It wasn't working. _There are definitely times that having an all powerful little sister bites the almighty big one._

"C'mon, Dawnie, I hafta get to the airport, my flight leaves in three hours and security's a bitch these days."

"Don't you mean _our _flight?" She crossed her arms and tried to frown menacingly.

"No, I mean _my_ flight. I'm not going back to party hardy, Dawn, I'm going back to finish a job and get back here as quick as I can."

"And what happens if you get into trouble? Huh?"

Buffy quirked an eyebrow. "Gee, I dunno. Never been in trouble before, oh, whatever shall I do?"

Dawn's frown got deeper. "You know what I mean. Dumbass. You need backup. Who better than Key-Girl?"

"How about somebody whose power won't set off every mystical alarm that he has set up around him?"

Dawn's frown lessened at that thought. "Oh. Yeah. Right. Forgot about that."

Buffy sighed and drew her sister into a hug. "I know you can handle yourself, Dawnie. But this has to be an inside job. I hafta go back and be Not-So-Low-Profile-Girl-Friend again."

"Fine. But call if you need help. Willow can set up the Wiccan Mind Meld in about two seconds."

"I know. And I will." Buffy glanced at her watch. "OH, geez, I have _got _to get a serious move on."

She started through the door, only to fetch up against Angel who was just raising his hand to knock. "Oh. Hi Angel. Bye Angel." She tried to push past him.

"Whoa, where ya goin', Buffy?"

"Yeah, all packed up for a long stay somewhere looks like." Spike was standing in the hall with Faith, Nina and Illyria.

"Just have some business to take care of. Back in a few days. Bye."

Dawn leaned on the doorframe. "She's heading back to Rome." Buffy stared daggers at Dawn, who just gave her an evil grin.

"Rome? What business 'ave ya got in Rome then, Slayer?" Spike was pretty sure he knew. So was Angel, but he was trying not to let his jealousy show in front of Nina.

Buffy sighed and set her suitcases down. _I am _sooo _gonna miss my flight_. "If you're asking if my business involves Antonio Cerephus, then yes, it does."

Angel and Spike stood there looking confused. "Who?"

Buffy rolled her eyes. "I think you call him 'The Immortal'. We know several Immortals, so it helps to actually call them by name."

Spike chuckled. "Antonio Cerephus? That's his bloody name? No wonder he's always insisted everybody call him The Immortal!"

Angel was glowering. "Right. We shoulda killed him a century ago when we had the chance."

Buffy looked at the two vampires thoughtfully. "You two got a grudge against this guy?"

"Yup," said Angel.

"And then some, pet," said Spike.

"Excellent. Go pack, you're coming with me." She couldn't help but laugh at the confusion on their faces. "I'll explain on the way. Hurry up, or we'll miss the plane."

_To be continued..._

The crossover with Stargate SG-1 begins in the next part. Seems things aren't quite what they seemed...

Later! ;-)

_To thee no star be dark..._


	3. Part III

Summary: New Slayers, new friends, new enemies, new wackiness. Just another day in the Buffyverse.

Crossover: Highlander, Stargate SG-1

Notes: Boy, but did this take a while! Had a bad case of writers block. I believe the technical term is _gas passimus brainimus. _More colloquially known as a brain fart. Anyway, due to work, health, and the fact that I couldn't quite get a grip on where this story was going, it took me for frelling ever to get back into it. Been wanting to do a Stargate crossover for awhile, finally had this brainstorm. Hope ya like it. Please make with the feedback, I'd love to know what you think of it! ;)

Disclaimer: Once again I dabble in worlds that belong to Others Wiser Than Myself. They must be wiser. They're gettin' paid and I ain't. So please make not with the lawsuit.

DID SOMEBODY SAY SOMETHING ABOUT NOT FADING AWAY? PART III

By screaminheathen69

Prologue

May 2003...

...In the town of Sunnydale, war was being waged. Nothing new about that, especially in Sunnydale. Seemingly, it would be just one of countless wars being fought at any given time, in any given dimension, or on any given world. Good versus evil and all that. Always somebody fighting somebody (or something) over something (or somebody). Been going on, well... forever. And will continue on long after humanity is but a footnote in the annals of history.

But this particular battle, in this particular war, well this one was different. Special. Got the attention of a great many of those 'Higher Beings' types in a big ol' hurry. Elders, Powers That Be, Gods, Assholes, whatever name you care to give them. Even the One Above All, that Being known by many names, God, Jehovah, Allah, and my personal favorite, I Am that I Am, just to name a few, was paying close attention. They were all paying very close attention indeed. Not that they thought, even for an instant, that an entity as ancient and powerful as The First Evil could be destroyed. No, that one would be around to foment grief and destruction for the duration of this universe and the next. And while this was certainly a battle of truly epic proportions, one that many songs would be sung about for generations to come (once the truth finally got out), the battle itself wasn't the focus of their attention.

No, that honor went to one young woman. One year ago, they had witnessed her journey into the Dark, and many had trembled at the power they saw her wield. Now, they bore witness to her power once more, but this time in awe. For this young woman was finally starting down the path that was her True Destiny, a destiny foretold millenia ago, but unknown to all but a few of those 'Higher Beings'.

She was starting down the path that would transform her into a Goddess, and quite possibly the greatest force for good that this world (or any other) will ever know.

Not that Willow Rosenberg had the slightest clue about any of that. She was rather occupied at that particular juncture. She was trying to channel more magic than ever she had before, even when she had gone all dark-and-veiny after Tara's death. She was scared out of her gourd. No thoughts of godhood here, nosirree.

But she succeeded in tapping into the esscence of the Scythe, and in so doing, finally tapped into the esscence of Gaia herself. And into so very much more, something wondrous, but that, that is a story for later. As she worked her spell and the Potentials power awakened, the balance was at long last turned (if only ever so slightly) in the favor of Good.

On all the worlds that humankind could be found on, Slayers awoke. A confused lot, to be sure. How would you feel if between one second and the next you suddenly had super strength and the irrestible urge to stake vampires? Yup. Confused. And so began one of the more unfortunate side-effects of Willow's spell. They'd figured on having to find the new Slayers, certainly, but on other worlds? Not so much. Complications, they do keep life interesting, now don't they?

Now, where was I? Oh, right... The Higher-So-and-So's looked on, the battle raged, Slayers rose up, etcetera, etcetera. Many of these new Slayers discovered their power quite by accident, and in rather interesting ways. One that always pops immediately to mind is the young girl that drove in the winning run for her softball team by hitting a five hundred yard home run. Bit of a shock to the opposing team, don't ya know.

And then there's young Cassandra Fraiser of Colorado Springs. Seems her uncle Jack was giving her a lesson in self defense right about the time her powers activated. Poor fellow was thrown twenty feet across the room, thoroughly destroying the cabinet full of excercise equipment that he landed in. Well, went through, actually.

Cassie stood there, bug-eyed, as Samantha and Daniel ran over to see if Jack was alright, or breathing for that matter. She turned slowly to the tall, stoic man standing next to her. His eyebrow was raised, which to those who knew him meant that he was surprised. Expressive fellow, that Teal'c.

She stood there through the pandemonium as the medics rushed in to haul Jack off to the infirmary. Again. Finally, she shook herself into motion and followed Teal'c to the infirmary to see if she'd killed O'neill or not. _Wow! _she thought, _what was that? _

Somehow, someway, she knew everything had changed. And for the first time since her adoptive mother had been killed, she smiled.

_My turn now!_

Chapter the First

Back to 2004...

_Good God, they take longer to pack than _I _do! _Buffy tried to rein in her impatience as she waited on Spike and Angel to finish packing. "Come! On! You! Two! We are _so _gonna miss our flight!" She realised she was tapping her foot and forced herself to stop.

Spike popped his head out the door. "Blame Peaches, pet. Keeps tryin' ta tell me what ta take."

"Do not!"

"Do too!"

"Do not!"

"Do too!"

"Shut up!" Buffy took a breath in the silence following her bellow. "Really startin' to think this was a bad idea..."

"Oi, don't forget yer product there, Cap'n Forehead. Gotta keep that hair standin' at attention..."

"You just worry about your peroxide, boy. Your roots are starting to show..."

"Sod off..." A pause... "They're not, are they?"

Buffy collapsed into a chair, hand to her forehead. _A migraine. I swear to God, I'm getting a migraine... _She let out a yelp when her cell phone started ringing. She dug it out of her pocket and answered in an all suffering voice. "Pre-Adolescent-Vampire-Sitters inc. How may we be of service?"

"Er, yes Buffy, it's Giles. Is there something wrong, dear?"

"Spike. Angel. Together. Migraine."

"Oh. Yes. I recommend aspirin. And scotch. Especially the scotch. Lots and lots of scotch."

"Good plan. What's up, Watcher Man? Just calling to wish me luck?"

"Er, no. Something's come up, as usual. I've had a call from Riley. He's on his way here, and he's bringing company with him. It did sound rather important, Buffy. I'd appreciate it if you'd round up the rest of the group there and head over here. They should be here in a couple of hours."

"Okay. Did you say company?"

"Yes. He did vouch for them. Said I'd be surprised at how good these people are at keeping secrets. Which doesn't necessarily engender trust, but still..."

"Right. In other words, here we go again. Be there as quick as we can. Love ya." She smiled as she clicked off, imagining the blush that Giles was sporting right now. She walked over and looked in on Spike and Angel. They were squared off, each gripping the others collar with his left hand, right hand drawn back to deliver a haymaker. "Boys!" They both froze, looking at her from the corner of their eyes.

She leaned against the doorframe and made a 'go ahead' gesture. "Go on, go on, don't let me stop ya. Ready for the entertainment. I'll even go get the oil. But please keep in mind that we hafta be at Giles' in an hour, so let's keep the damage to a minimum, alright?"

Spike and Angel traded glances, then stepped away from each other. "Don' wanna."

Buffy rolled her eyes. "_Vampires_!"

Chapter the Second

They had gathered up whoever they could find and called the rest, then headed for Giles'. They were just pulling up in front of the house when it finally hit Buffy.

Angel, Spike, and Riley.

All here.

In the same place.

In the _same room!_

She found herself wishing for an apocalypse. Something. Anything. _Could be worse, I s'pose. I mean, at least Parker isn't here. Oh crap, shouldn't 'a thought that! No jinxing!_ _Get ahold of yourself, girl. Stiff upper lip. Yeah, that's it. _She knocked on the door. _What the Hell does that mean, anyway? 'Stiff upper lip'? That has got to be the dumbest, most stupidest thing_- "Hi Giles. Reporting as ordered."

"Hello Buffy, everyone." Giles hugged Buffy, Faith, and Dawn, nodding a greeting to Illyria, Connor and Nina as they came past. Spike and Angel stood just outside the door. Angel cleared his throat. Giles turned. "Hmmm? Oh, sorry, do come in, both of you. And do try not to break anything."

Angel grumbled a greeting as he walked past Giles. Spike, being Spike, offered the two-finger salute. Giles sighed and looked at Buffy. "Tell me again how it's a good thing that I haven't killed that pillock yet?"

Buffy snorted. "Still workin' on that one myself. So, what's the what?"

"Won't know until they get here, I'm afraid. He did say that he was bringing a Slayer with him, as well as a group of people he felt we should become aquainted with. I've also called Duncan. He, Kate, and their Watcher friend should be here in a few hours."

"Oh. Well, oughta be interesting, then." They paused in the entrance of the dining room, which had become the meeting room for tonight. Spike and Angel were already arguing again, this time with Xander added to the mix. Illyria was poking about the various antiques spread throughout the room, with Willow and Dawn trying to keep her from breaking anything. Faith was in Robins lap, and both were oblivious to the rest of the room. Nina, Connor, Gunn and Kennedy were standing off to one side, trying not to laugh. Andrew was trying to referee everyone at once. Vi, meeting Giles and Buffy in the hallway, took one look at the scene, turned and ran the other way.

Buffy just stood there. "Giles?"

"Yes?"

"Scotch?"

"Kitchen."

"Good. Means there'll be snacks. C'mon..."

They quietly made their way to the kitchen. Where the scotch and the snacks live. 'Cause sometimes, even the strongest of hearts need a little extra courage. Or maybe anesthesia. One or the other. Both maybe.

Giles got out the good single-malt and two tumblers. Six minutes and six slugs each later, they were both feeling a bit more mellow. Buffy held her glass out for a refill. "Hey, Giles?"

"Yes, dear?" He refilled both tumblers. "Salut!"

They tossed back another shot. "What the Hell does it mean, anyways?" She concentrated on holding her glass steady as Giles unsteadily poured another shot.

"What does what mean, Buffy? Specificity, if you please," he said, giggling slightly.

"Betcha can't say that three times real fast," Buffy giggled, downing another shot.

Giles scrunched up his eyes, thinking about it. " Specificity, shpefipity, speffifity... Bloody Hell! I do believe you're right!" He downed another, chuckling.

He refilled the glasses again, then paused. "Er, what was the question again?"

Buffy had to think about it for a second. "Oh. Yeah. Wait... oh yeah. 'Stiff upper lip'? For all us poor un-British slobs, let me just say; huh?"

Giles sat there stock still for a minute, then finally shrugged and downed his scotch. "Haven't a clue."

"So you're clueless."

"Without clue." He nodded sadly.

Buffy grinned. "Kewl. So we're both clueless. Let's get back to the party." She finished her scotch, then stood up. "Whoa, who made the house all swaver-y?"

"Dunno. Must be something wrong with the Earth. Spinning off its axis. Or something."

Together, they wavered off down the hall to the dining room, and the raucous group that hadn't even noticed they weren't there.

Chapter the Third

It had been her uncle George who'd finally figured out what had happened to Cassie. After his promotion, he had access to a great many secret files and projects that he'd heard rumors and whispers about for years, but had never been able to confirm until now. As they had studied her new abilities, as well as the reemergence of some of the powers she'd exhibited due to Nirti's genetic manipulation, they'd assumed that her new abilities were simply an extension of that same manipulation.

Not only did she have Slayer strength, speed, and reflexes, but she exhibited telekinetic abilities, as well as being able to channel limited amounts of heat and electrical energy. She could take multiple hits from a zat without even slowing her down. She wanted to see if she could withstand a blast from a staff weapon, but Jack and Sam both firmly put their foot down against that idea. Other than that, Cassie was having a ball. She quickly discovered that she was stronger than Teal'c, and with some additional training, she was mopping the floor with him.

But then the dreams had begun. Strangely prophetic dreams, that more often than not came true, in one form or another. And then, while walking home one night after a movie with Sam and Pete, they were attacked by a group of vampires. The fledgling Slayer instinctively new what to do, and breaking a wooden slat from a nearby bench, she proceeded to dust three vamps in rapid succession, running off the other two.

Now, Samantha Carter, being the scientist she is, found the very notion of vampires to be laughable. But then again, there was no arguing what had just happened. Her goddaughter, whom she loved as her own, had just slain three vampires right before her eyes. She was shaken right down to her toes. The discovery of the Stargate, and all that had come of it, had been an affirmation. She'd always known that we weren't alone in the universe. But this, this was pure fantasy! It began to sink in for all of them that there were after all a great many more things yet to discover about our own little corner of the universe than they'd ever imagined.

Upon hearing about the incident with the vampires, General George Hammond remembered something from one of the files he'd read shortly after his promotion. He'd passed it off as fantasy, but now had second thoughts. So he went to his office and dug out the rather large file about the Initiative, and the even thicker file on Sunnydale. After eighteen hours straight of reading and watching various video files, he went home, poured himself a large glass of Jack Daniels, and tried to get a grip on what he'd discovered. Two days later, he packed up all the material he could find on the subject of Vampire Slayers, demons, and things that go bump in the night and headed for the SGC.

But first, he placed a call to one Special Agent Riley Finn.

Chapter the Fourth

Buffy and Giles stood in the door to the dining room, swaying slightly. Both of them knew that getting half lit right before what was likely to be an important meeting wasn't necessarily the brightest thing to do, but they were both having trouble giving a damn right about then. Connor was between Spike and Angel, threatening to stake them both if they didn't shut up. Illyria and Willow were faced off on the other side of the room, Willow having had enough of the former God-Kings put downs. Dawn was building up her energy reserves just in case it got beyond the name calling stage. The various lookers-on were making bets as to who could kick whose ass. And Robin and Faith were still completely oblivious.

Buffy threw a bleary glance at Giles, then tried to whistle. Her lips didn't seem to want to work right, though, so she hollered instead. "Hey! Children! Company's coming, so chill out or you're all goin' ta bed without any supper!" Everybody in the room froze and turned to stare at Giles and Buffy. "Good. Quietness. Now siddown." She and Giles stumbled over and sat down at the head of the table.

Spike took a good look as she slumped into her chair. Drunk Buffy was a rare sight, but one that he remembered quite well. "Well, well, bugger me if the Slayer ain't pissed."

Buffy tried to focus on Spike. "Hunh? 'Mm not mad."

Spike rolled his eyes. "No, ya daft- pissed as in drunk, not pissed off."

"Oh. More British phashool...phraseo...umm...stuff I don't get."

Dawn walked over and stood next to her sister, hands on hips and frown in place. "Drunk? You pick _now_ to get slozzled? What the Hell were you two thinking?"

Giles roused himself from his stupor. "Hold on there. We needed a break. So we took a break. Have you lot ever stood back and watched yourselves? Well, we have. It's enough to drive a man to drink..."

"Or a woman..." chimed in Buffy.

"...Quite right. So shut up, sit down, and try to look respectable. Illyria, put that down!" Illyria sat the ancient vase she had been studying back where she found it with a sheepish expression.

Dawn sat down mumbling. "Respectable, he says. They're drunk, and he wasnts _us _to look respectable." Connor, sitting next to her, just grinned.

Willows cell phone started ringing, so she stepped out of the room to answer it. Muffled words could be heard, and then a bright light flared briefly in the hall. She walked back in a few seconds later followed by Duncan, Kate, and their new Watcher. Duncan nodded a greeting to the surprised group in the room. "Hello all. We ran into some delays, so Willow here was good enough to 'port us on over. Otherwise it'd have been sometime tomorrow night before we could have gotten here."

He started to make introductions, but Angel and Gunn were already on their feet. "Kate?" Duncan's wife started to reply when she realised that Angel was actually speaking to the blonde Watcher standing next to her.

"Hi Angel. Gunn. Been a while. And I go by Kaithlynn these days." Kate Lockley wasn't quite sure how she felt about running into Angel. There were parts of her life that she had tried very hard to forget about. Yes, he had saved her life. Several times. But he had also been instrumental in starting her down the path that had nearly destroyed her. But then he had saved her again. And that was when she finally started believing that there was something more to this life, that she was meant for something more.

For his part, Angel almost hadn't recognised her. Her hair was longer and wavier than he remembered, and the haunted look was gone from her eyes. She looked as though she were finally at peace with herself.

Duncan was studying them closely. "Sooo... I take it you folks know each other?"

Kaithlynn shook herself from her memories. "Yeah, from back in LA. Old, um, friends, I guess."

"Oh. So you're _that _Angel, then?" Duncan asked, turning to look Angel in the eye.

"Yeah. Guess so," Angel said warily.

"Good. Then I owe you my thanks for setting our Kaithlynn here on her new path. She's been a Godsend these last few months." He offered his hand to Angel, who shook it with a relieved expression. He really didn't want to get into a fight with an Immortal. They were just too damn good with that whole lopping off of the heads thing...

Kate (the Immortal. Sittin' here remembering my gripe about too damn many people in the sci-fi world having the same damn name.) was looking at Giles and Buffy. "You two alright?"

Buffy turned her bleary gaze on the Immortal. "Hunh?"

Kaithlynn cocked her head and studied the tipsy twosome. "Oh, I think they're alright. Three sheets to the wind, but alright."

Buffy tried to look indignant. "So _not _three sheets. Two maybe. One-and-a-half."

"Four," chimed in Dawn.

"Shut up, you. 'Mm not that bad. Do ya see Cave-Buffy anywhere? No! So hush."

Giles giggled. "Cave-Buffy..."

Willow, still standing in the doorway, jumped as her cell phone rang again. "Um, hello? Oh, hiya Riley. You guys almost here? What? Move three steps to my left? Why? Okay, okay, moving. How come... Eep!" She jumped back even further as a brilliant white light flooded the room and then faded away, leaving seven people standing there.

Riley Finn smiled sheepishly and waved at the frozen assemblage. "Hi guys. Umm, surprise!"

Chapter the Fifth

Spike was the one that broke the silence. Of course. "Oh, look. Captain Cardboard's learned a new trick. Ow!" Buffy bounced a book off his skull.

"See? _Not _three sheets. Hi Riley, Sam. Who'ssh- I mean, who're your friends that you brought with you in the shiny bright light? And by the way, what the Hell was _that_?"

"Umm... long story."

"Shorten it."

"Asgard transporter. Beamed in from the _Prometheus_."

_That _earned him a great many blank looks. Buffy's eyebrows were trying to hide somewhere up beyond her hairline. "Err... okey-dokey, maybe the long version would be of the good after all."

Giles was sobering up fast. Amazing how having a group teleport into your dining room could cause ones head to clear up. "Err... yes. Won't you all please sit down? And perhaps Riley would make the introductions?"

"Sure. Most of you know my wife Sam," he gestured towards the woman standing to his left. She nodded a greeting. "And this is General Jack O'Neill, Col. Samantha Carter, Dr. Daniel Jackson, and Teal'c. And then we have Cassandra Fraiser, the Slayer I was telling you about."

Buffy had known Cassie was a Slayer the second she walked into the room. And she could also tell that there was something different about Teal'c. He put off a vibe that felt familiar, but she couldn't quite place it. And then she looked at Daniel. _Whoa. I know him. How do I know him? Don't recall ever visiting any secret military programs. Well, except for the Initiative. Great, now this is gonna bug me 'til I figure out where I know him from. _She mumbled a hello as Giles introduced the rest of the group.

Cassie nodded, but was staring at Angel and Spike. She was getting a weird vibe from Illyria, but didn't know what to make of it yet. "You guys do know that there are two vampires sitting here with you, right?" Jack did a double take and started trying to figure out who the vamps were. Teal'c just quirked an eyebrow. Carter and Daniel were both reaching surrepticiously for the stakes they had hidden.

Buffy made a 'pffft' noise and waved a hand towards the vampires in question. "That's just Spike 'n Angel, don't worry about it. They've got souls." Spike and Angel sat there looking uncomfortable.

Jack leaned toward Daniel. "They've got soul?"

"Souls. They've got souls," Daniel muttered back.

"Oh. So?"

"How should I know?"

"Oh. Never mind." He stepped over to the table and shook Giles' hand. "Pleased to meet ya. Heard a lot about you guys, figured we'd come on over, give you a chance to set the record sraight." He said it a good natured way that had Buffy liking him in spite of the fact he was military.

"Quite thoughtful of you." Giles said dryly, then introduced the rest of the group. Everybody found a place to sit while Carter set up her laptop.

He cleared his throat to quiet everyone down. "Perhaps you'd care to explain what's going on, Riley?"

Riley looked at Jack, who nodded. "Well, I think first we'd better let you guys in on the background. I only found out most of this stuff myself a couple of months ago, so I'll let Col. Carter fill you in about the Stargate program." He nodded to Carter, who stood up and cleared her throat.

"Hi. What we're about to tell you is classified. We're not too worried about telling you folks this, since you seem to be pretty good at keeping secrets, but this cannot leave this room."

"Matter of utmost national security, right? Heard this speech before, Colonel," Xander intoned tiredly.

"Well, more like global security, but you get the idea." She typed a command into her laptop and turned the screen where everyone could see it. A picture of the Stargate was displayed, followed by several still shots of the gate. "This is the Stargate. It's one of thousands in a network of Stargates spread thoughout this galaxy, and in at least two other galaxies that we know of." She tapped another key, and a clip of the gate activating started playing. "What you're seeing is the event horizon of a wormhole. You step through the gate here, and step through the other side on another world. We've traveled to hundreds of different planets, met dozens of species, and made some good friends. Unfortunately, we've also made some very powerful enemies. We are currently at war with the Gou'ald, a race of parasites that inhabit human hosts, and have used humans for slave labor for thousands of years."

Giles' eyes were about to bug out. "The Gou'ald? They're real? Then this Stargate, it would be the chappa'ai?"

Carter nodded. "Yes. I take it you've heard of them before?"

"Only as myths, legends. I assumed they were demons, in fact, the few references to them that I've ever found referred to them as demons."

Daniel leaned forward. "They're often called demons. Ten thousand years ago, the human race didn't really have a concept of alien parasites."

Willow was craning her neck, trying to get a better look at the screen. And trying not to drool. "How does it work? You said wormhole? How can it be a wormhole, 'cause I thought wormholes were inherently unstable? And the power requirements! I mean, the juice just to create a wormhole, let alone sustain a stable one must be astronomical! And what's with all the symbols on the gate? Giles, those look familiar. Where have I seen those before? Oh, wait. I know, they're astrological signs! For constellations, right? So they're what, part of an address system?" Riley was grinning at the expressions on SG-1's faces at their first exposure to Willow-babble.

Jack poked Daniel in the arm. "Took you a whole week to figure that out, Danny. What's the deal?"

"Shut up, Jack," Daniel grumbled. Jack just smirked.

Duncan stirred in his chair. "Methos told me a story a while back. Had trouble believing it at the time, but now I'm starting to wonder. Did these Gou'ald have a gate in Antarctica?"

Carter nodded. "Yes. That was the second gate we found. The first was found in Egypt back in 1928. We didn't know about the Antarctic gate 'til a few years ago." She and Jack shared a look. Neither of them had fond memories of that particular adventure. "Why?"

"As I remember it, he got caught up in a group that had been rounded up to serve some god or somesuch. He led the revolt that stopped them, said the gate got buried by a cave in. I'd have to call him to get more details, it's been awhile since he told the story, and we were pretty drunk at the time."

"When did this happen?" asked Daniel.

"Back in the Middle Ages, I think. I'm not real sure."

Daniel leaned back, a thoughtful expression on his face. "That would fit with what we've discovered about that gate."

Jack smiled. He knew that Daniel and Carter would happily get into the history lessons and techno-babble 'til the wee hours if he let them. _Time enough for that later._ "Okay, campers, here's the short version. We'll be happy to discuss this at length later. Gou'ald, they're the bad guys. There are humans spread out all over the galaxy, some of them still slaves of the Gou'ald. We're trying to free them and take down the Gou'ald. We have allies. The Tok'ra. The Asgard. A few others. There are also other bad guys out there. The Replicators for one. Very bad news. We've been fighting the Gou'ald for eight years now, haven't been doing too bad a job of it if Ido say so myself. Understand you guys have been fighting some serious badness for the last eight years or so yourselves. A year ago, you did something that made Cassie here a Slayer. Which, considering the fact that she comes from another planet, makes me wonder how many more there are out there."

Cassie found herself on the recieving end of a great many surprised looks. Xander quirked an eyebrow. "Funny, she doesn't look like E.T."

"She's human. Just from another planet. And apparently, thanks to whatever the Hell it was that you guys did last year, also a Slayer. Complete with prophecy powers. We've also confirmed three other Slayers in the SGC, and the Tok'ra have confirmed two amongst their ranks. Haven't had a chance to check with all the Jaffa rebels, but we're already getting word back that there are definitely Slayers there, too." Jack paused, looked at SG-1. "Anything else?"

Carter smiled. "Yeah, but I think we probably ought to talk about her latest batch of dreams. That's why we're here after all."

"Oh. Right. Cassie?" He made a 'next' gesture and sat down.

She leaned forward and rested her elbows on the table, hands clasped in front of her. "Umm, yeah. Well, it's like this... if we can't figure out what my dreams mean, and what to do about it, then it's pretty much gonna be the end of the world..."

She was somewhat taken aback by the tired groans that came back at her. Dawn just rolled her eyes. "Again?"

Jack studied the group with a practiced eye. He'd always been good at reading people, and could tell that beneath the sarcasm, they were genuinely concerned. "Soo, I take it this is nothing new, then?"

Buffy sighed. "I wish. It's not Tuesday is it?"

"Thursday, actually," said Giles.

"Oh, goodie. We're probably safe for a few days then." She turned to Cassie. "Maybe you'd better fill us in now. Always glad for advance notice on the latest apocalypse."

"Okay. Um, there were lots of vampires, and what I guess were other demons in it. And there was at least one Gou'ald. I think he'd formed a demon army. There was a mother ship doing the orbital bombardment thing, and lots of Jaffa with the demons. And there was a lot of weird stuff that we couldn't figure out that Riley thought I should talk to Willow and Giles about. Oh, and most of you were in there, too..." She trailed off, looking uncomfortable.

Xander leaned forward and rested his elbows on the table. "What were we doing? The normal kicking of the demon butt, I presume?"

Cassie squirmed uncomfortably in her chair. "Umm, no. You guys were, well, dead. All of you. And all of us." She gestured at SG-1, then pointed at Dawn. "Except you. I don't know what they did to you, but you turned into this big glowy ball of green energy. They had you near something I can't quite explain. I always get this image of a giant mouth with big, nasty, sharp teeth. And then I get this view of Earth from space." She took a breath, and then finished quietly, "It was burning."

"Burning?" asked Giles.

"Yeah. It was like watching a match. It just sorta went _whoosh_, right around the planet. And then everything was burning. Even the oceans."

There was a long pause as what she had told them sank in. They all had horrified expressions. And then Spike spoke up.

"Well, bugger _that_!"

_To be continued_

I'd kinda lost my way by the end of part two, and it took me a long time to sort out where I wanted to take this story. I'd been thinking about an SG-1 crossover, and finally got a brainstorm. Now, if I can just survive the Holidays and keep my health in check, maybe I can keep going on this.

Peace in the valley and all that good stuff!

later ;)

_'To thee no star be dark'_


	4. Part IV

Summary: Our intrepid heroes figure out some of what is happening, and new friends bond. Many pizzas were sacrificed to complete this part of the story.

Crossover: Highlander, Stargate SG-1

Notes: Kate Lockley goes by Kaithlynn now. Part of her 'new life' thing. Also makes it easier for me to keep her and Duncan's wife Kate straight. I'm easily befuddled, doncha know... I probably screwed up the timeline for some of the Stargate stuff, but I hope you won't hold it against me. I lost track of which Goa'uld did what and when a while back. This story continues the storyline established in 'What are we gonna do now?'. All Hail the Goddess Willow.

Disclaimer: The events and characters depicted herein have been ...errr...borrowed, so that I might play for but a little while. Any abuse incurred whilst I'm playing shall of course evaporate upon their return to their rightful (and wonderfully kind because they wouldn't dream of suing little ol' me) owners.

DID SOMEBODY SAY SOMETHING ABOUT NOT FADING AWAY? PART IV

By screaminheathen69

Prologue

10,000 years ago (give or take a century or two), on the Giza Plateau

People tend to forget that once, long ago, Egypt was a lush tropical paradise. The Sahara didn't intrude until a much later time. The area around the Nile River Valley was a rich and fertile place, and was accordingly well populated. The people were simple farmers and hunters, living peacefully together, grateful for such a bountiful place to live. It was a good life.

Until Ra showed up, anyway.

Oh, these simple folks knew of vampires, demons, and the mystical world around them. At the time of Ra's arrival, there was a Slayer living amongst them, a highly successful and revered Slayer named Ammenorah. She lived with her Watcher, Kartha, an Immortal. He'd been around a thousand years or so, and had worked with dozens of Slayers. They had come here following a group of vampires who'd heard about the easy pickings around the Nile (even this far back, it was called the Nile), and after having dispatched them, decided to stay, hoping that word would spread that the pickings weren't quite so easy after all.

But nothing had prepared them for the coming of the Goa'uld. The people quickly accepted them as Gods, believing that Ra himself had come down to Earth. Many believed that things would only get better now that the Gods had favored them with their presence.

That didn't last long, though.

Funny how slavery and forced labor has that affect.

There were three Goa'uld that arrived that night, quickly taking new hosts for themselves and casting off their old Unas hosts. Ra, of course, was in charge, with Setesh his second. The third, a younger Goa'uld by the name of Cerephus, was put in charge of constructing the pyramid landing platforms for Goa'uld starships. While the pyramids were being built (at great cost to human life), Ra and many of the other System Lords began transplanting humans to many of their various worlds through the Stargate, to breed as slaves, hosts, and to create a new breed of soldiers that would eventually become the Jaffa.

The next five hundred years saw the Giza Plateau tranformed. The Great Pyramids, which would mystify future generations, were completed, along with many of the temples and monuments that stand all across the world to this day, to our wonder and bafflement.

Ammenorah had allowed herself to be taken, in order to discover the truth about these supposed 'Gods'. Unfortunately, she had made the mistake of trying to take on Ra directly, only to be swiftly defeated when Ra used the ribbon device to throw her through a wall. Surprised by this wisp of a girl's strength and resilience, Ra had ordered her studied.

She didn't survive the experiments.

But Ra's interrogators had been able to force the truth about Slayers, vampires, demons and the mystical nature of much of this world out of her before she died. So he kept a careful watch in case another might attempt to overthrow him, but dismissed the rest as inconsequential.

Cerephus, on the other hand, was fascinated with the mystical aspects of Earth, and made a study of them in what little spare time he had. Which, over the course of five hundred years, added up to quite a bit.

Meanwhile, after Amennorah's death, Kartha had set out to find the new Slayer. A daunting prospect, considering that at this point in history, mankind hadn't quite mastered crossing the oceans yet. He knew perfectly well that it could easily be many years before he located a Slayer, especially now that so many humans had been transplanted offworld. So he was patient.

It only took him four hundred and ninety nine years.

Her name was Elene. She was just fifteen. She embraced her mission wholeheartedly, though, as she had had family taken by Osiris before Ra had defeated he and Isis. They spent the next four years training, and gathering an army that included witches, Immortals, and even demons, all dedicated to one purpose; to drive the False Gods from Earth.

And so, five hundred and three years after their arrival, the Goa'uld faced the Uprising, spearheaded by an army the likes of which not even the Goa'uld had ever seen.

The battle was horrific. It went on for days. Ra had created a comfy little kingdom for himself, and he didn't care what it cost him, short of his own life of course, to keep it. His rage was great indeed when he was informed that the slaves themselves had risen up against him and buried the chappa'ai. Setesh had fled, fearing that he would be made to pay for allowing the Uprising to occur. Cerephus was leading the Temple Guard in the final defense of the Great Pyramid, the only barrier still remaining between the onrushing army and Ra's ship.

He and the Jaffa cut a terrible swath of death through the rebels, but were steadily being forced to retreat as their own numbers dwindled. Cerephus caught a flash from the temple. It was Ra ringing up to his ship, and soon thereafter the pyramid began to vibrate as the sound of the great ship firing up rolled across them. Cerephus found himself face to face with Kartha, and was soon fighting for his life. He managed to get some space, and threw Kartha away from him with the ribbon device, knocking the Immortal cold in the process.

Seeing her Watcher go down, Elene ran towards Cerephus enraged, fearing that he would take the Immortals head while he was unconscious. The Goa'uld was caught off guard, and tried to bring the ribbon device to bear on the Slayer, but she deflected his arm upwards, sending the blast into the temples roof.

They both looked up at the sound of stone collapsing, and tried to leap clear of the falling chunks of masonry. Elene was crushed, but Cerephus made it clear. Almost. A large chunk of stone struck him across the neck and back, crushing vertabrae and causing more damage than the symbiote would be able to repair without access to a sarcophogous. Cerephus, remembering the unconscious warrior nearby, abandoned it's host and slithered across the wreckage to where Kartha lay, beginning to come to.

The first thing he saw as he opened his eyes was the symbiote leaping at him. It was also the last. He never had a chance. Cerephus entered Kartha's body and took over, banishing the man's being to the purgatory that is the curse of being a host to a Goa'uld. And marveled at the power of the body he now possessed. He had heard of the Immortals from Ammenorah, of course, but to now be in possession of one as his host was a truly amazing experience.

He was going to make the Tau'ri pay for their insolence. And now he had all eternity to make it happen.

Chapter the First

2004... Giles' dining room

..."Well, bugger _that_!" Spike's sentiment was echoed around the table, in feeling if not the actual words.

Buffy, for her part, was quietly surprised at how incredibly sober she now felt. _Ahh, nothin' like a good ol' fashioned apocalypse to sober a gal right up! And aliens to boot. And where the Hell do I know Daniel from? Arrgh! Back to the apocalypse, girl. Priorities!_

Jack smiled, nodding in agreement with Spike. "Yeah, I think that pretty well sums up how we all felt about it too. Riley here's been trying to get us to come talk to you kids for the last coupla months, but certain higher ups kept balking at the idea. After Cassie started having thses dreams, though, well, we started kinda insisting." His smirk deepened. "Sometimes ya just gotta go in and knock a few heads together to get results."

Faith laughed. "Yeah, I've noticed that."

Connor snickered. "Yeah, but when I do that, dad tells me 'no, son, we should find some way to talk this out'. And then he chops the bad guys head off." Angel just shrugged, grinning lopsidedly.

"As a wise man once said, 'there are alternatives to fighting'," Andrew quoted pontifically.

Teal'c looked at Andrew, eyebrow raised in typical Teal'c fashion. "You quote Master Kenobi well, AndrewWells. But sometimes fighting is the only recourse."

Buffy groaned. "Oh, Lord, don't get him started on Star Wars! The apocalypse will've already happened by the time we get him to shut up!" Laughter bubbled around the table as Andrew slouched down into his chair, mumbling to himself.

Buffy turned to Cassie. "Okay. Apocalypse. You said there was at least one of these Ghoul guys, right?"

Cassie nodded. "Goa'uld. Right."

"Can you describe him for us? Maybe we can figure out who this guy is, if he's working with demons."

Cassie sat back and closed her eyes, trying to visualise her dream. "I dunno. I never get a clear look at him, it's too fast. But he's definitely a Goa'uld, I can see his eyes do that flashy thing." She waved a hand vaguely as she said 'flashy thing'.

Willow stood up. "Cassie, if you're willing, there's something I'd like to try. We call it the Wiccan Mind-Meld. Mostly, we use it to communicate during battle, but I can use it to visualise your memory. Doesn't hurt or anything."

The young Slayer from another world nodded uncertainly. "Sure, I guess."

Willow knelt down in front of Cassie. "I'm also gonna bring Buffy and Giles into this, okay?" Again, Cassie nodded.

"Okay, just relax, and try to remember the dreams." Willow closed her eyes and relaxed into a light trance, pulling Cassie, Buffy and Giles in with her. There was an uneasy silence in the room as one minute ticked by. Five minutes. Ten.

Twelve minutes.

Suddenly, Buffy let out a gasp as the meld collapsed and jerked back in her chair. The other three came up out of the trance more slowly, but Willow and Giles were both wearing shocked expressions of their own.

Dawn rushed over to Buffy, who was trying to catch her breath. "Buffy? What was it? What scared you so bad?"

Buffy took a shuddering breath. "We saw all of it. Her dream. It was..." She paused, still trying to catch her breath.

Willow continued. "...Awful. Everybody. Everything. The whole planet was..." She trailed off with a horrified expression, shivering.

"Burned to ash..." finished Giles. He looked very much like he wanted to go find another bottle of scotch. Or three.

Buffy finally got her breathing under control. Her own Slayer dreams, and she'd had many, hadn't come close to the detail that Cassie's dreams had. Or the horror. "And the Ghoul guy? I know who he is."

That got everybodys attention. "Who is it?" Dawn asked, still crouched beside her sister.

"An Immortal. _The _Immortal. Our pet project. Antonio Cerephus. He's the one who's going to burn this world to a cinder."

There was another silence, broken finally by Angel. "Knew we shoulda killed that S.O.B. when we had the chance..."

Chapter the Second

They had decided to take a break. Buffy, Giles, Willow and Cassie needed some time to get themselves together after the meld, and the rest of the group decided that there wasn't anything that couldn't be made better with the judicious application of pizza. So, after the order had been placed, and some of the group set about getting plates and drinks out, Daniel went off to find Buffy. He finally located her on the roof, on a little balcony outside the attic window. She was curled up into a ball, warming herself against the cool night air.

He leaned against the window frame. "Umm, hi. Nice view up here." Buffy didn't answer, just nodded. Daniel took a breath and pressed on. _Fortune favors the brave, _he thought to himself"Boy, here you are looking for a little privacy, and here I am bugging you. Jack always says I'm good at that, though." Still no response. "The bugging... yup, good with the bugging." Still nothing. He sighed. "Starting to feel hopeless again, isn't it? No matter how many times you save the world, it'll still need saving again, right? Know how that feels, we've been there more times than I care to remember ourselves. Other worlds too, as far as that goes. Died once, saving another planet. But hey, here I am, still fighting the good fight..."

Buffy gave him a sideways look. "You died?" she mumbled.

"Yup. Two, no, three times. That I can remember off the top of my head, anyway."

"Three, huh? You're one up on me then. Not that I plan to repeat the experience any time soon, mind you."

Daniel smiled. "Yeah, I know. Actually, Jack has both of us beat."

At her inquisitve look, he continued. "Coupla years ago, he was captured by a System Lord named Baal. Baal tortured him for days, killed him dozens of times, using a sarcophogous to bring him back. It was one of the few times I've ever seen Jack ready to give up." Buffy could tell this was an exceptionally painful memory for Daniel.

She gave him another sideways look. "Where do I know you from? It's been bugging me since you got here."

Daniel sighed. "I was wondering if you remembered or not. It was about three years ago." He laughed at Buffy's blank expression. "It was during a certain hundred and forty seven day vacation you took back in 2001."

Buffy went white as a sheet as she realised what he was referring to. "But - but, I thought you were an angel..."

Daniel was studying his boots, embarrassed. "No, not quite an angel. I had Ascended, become one of the Ancients. It's... complicated. After you were... taken back, I tried to keep an eye on you. I'd have helped you out, but there were rules that I had to abide by. I did manage to give you a little nudge when that, um, whatever-it-was demon drugged you and had you thinking you were in the looney bin. We almost lost you, that time. Your mom, Ben, and Jenny were screaming at me to do something, so I managed to slip a subconscious suggestion into the illusion. I think it helped. I'd have done more, but like I said, rules." He said the last as though he had a brown taste in his mouth.

"Oh. Wait. Mom and Jenny? Jenny Calendar? And Ben? You know them? How do you know them?" Buffy had turned and grabbed him by the shoulders, stopping just short of shaking him.

"They were there, Buffy. Same as you. In Heaven."

The tears were free flowing, now. "I was really there? In Heaven?"

"Of course. The One Above All wasn't about to let one of the greatest warriors for good languish in some Hell dimension. Which is where you would have gone if He hadn't intervened. That portal would have put you into one of the worst. And She felt you had more than earned your Rest. And then Willow put one over on all of the Higher Beings and yanked you back out. It came as a huge surprise to all of Them, but it turns out it was part of a very, very old prophecy involving Willow. They just didn't know it was you. If He had, She would have tried to prepare you for it. But He thought you were finished with your battles."

Buffy was shaking, fighting back the tears. "I always wondered... I worried that they might not have gone up there, you know? Hellmouth and all that. I was always scared that maybe..." She shuddered.

"No. They were good people caught up in bad circumstances. And your mom's death was natural. She didn't suffer. She's still looking after you and Dawn, you know. And always will be, until you go to your Final Rest."

Buffy looked at him thoughtfully. "Could she come to me? Like, in my dreams?"

"Yes, I think so. That's one way Guardian Angels appear to their charges. Why?"

"Last year, when we were fighting the First. She came to me in my dreams. The First had appeared to Dawnie as mom, so I figured it was the First messing with me. But now I wonder..." The tears had stopped, and she wore a contemplative look.

"Good chance it was your mom, then. I can't say for sure, I got sent back myself a few months after you did. Broke some of those pesky rules. Not that it did any good." He said the last with a sour look. "She was training to be a White-Lighter. Takes a long time to finish the training, and I think she was getting a little impatient with the process."

"White-Lighter?"

"Umm, yeah. Shouldn't'a told you that. It's sort of the next step beyond guardian angel. Ask Willow or Giles about it, they could probably explain it better than I can."

"Oh. Wait a sec. Prophecy? About Willow? 'Splain, please, 'cause with this group, prophesies usually don't exactly bode well."

"I don't know much about that either, but I do know that she's on the right path. It was basically a good thing, from what little I did hear about it. But you didn't hear any of this from me."

"Okay. Why?"

Daniel was studying the wall behind Buffy. "Er, well, because Jack and the rest of my friends think I don't remember much of what happened when I was ascended."

"And why do they think that?" Buffy wheedled.

"Becaaaauuussse... that's sort of what I told them. More of those rules I'm not supposed to break."

"Oh," Buffy said again. She sighed heavily. "I'm going to have such a _huge _headache before the night's over, ya know?"

Daniel laughed gently as he checked his watch. "Look, the pizza shook be here in a few, we probably better get down there if we want any. Teal'c can put it away like nobody's business."

Buffy snorted as she got to her feet. "He better watch out for Faith then, she's an eating machine."

"Really?"

"Yup. Human Garbage Disposal. We could have a contest..."

"Might be interesting," Daniel chuckled.

"Yup." They started down the stairs, Buffy's mood revived somewhat. "Hey, what's with the He/She thing when you're talking about God? Kinda confusing..."

"Tell me about it." He thought for a second. "Okay, have you seen 'Dogma'?" She nodded. "Well, let's just say that that movie had a whole lot of Truth in it."

"Really? How much?"

"Pretty much the whole damn thing. They just changed a few names."

"Oh. Wow."

"Yup."

"Let's go eat."

"Good plan..."

Chapter the Third

They arrived in the hall by the dining room just in time to see Jack balancing a teetering stack of pizza boxes while Giles paid the delivery boy. Jack was apologising to Giles. "Hey, I'm sorry, it just didn't occur to me to bring British money with me. I'll pay ya back, swear to God..." Giles just rolled his eyes. Buffy and Daniel took some of the load from Jack and headed into the dining room. Giles just stood back and marveled at the chaos that ensued as the room full of people started elbowing to find their favorite kind of pizza. He found it vaguely reminiscent of a pack of wild hyenas gathered around a fresh kill.

Jack, Buffy and Cassie snagged a whole sausage, pepperoni and mushroom for themselves and miraculously managed to find three seats next to each other. Jack was wearing a beatific grin. "Ahhh, pizza, the food of the Gods, that most wondrous invention of the Ancients and boon to all Mankind, pizza!" He took a huge bite with great relish. "Ow! Hot! Hot! Water!" He fanned a hand in front of his mouth, panting. Buffy and Cassie almost spit their pizza out trying not to laugh.

"Oh, nice, laugh at the old guy with the burned mouth. Very nice. What happened to respecting your elders?"

Cassie snorted. "Pffft! Respect? Elders? You're the biggest kid I know."

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"Takes one to know one!"

"Oh, real original. Oh, wait, as old as that one is, you were probably there when it was said for the very first time. Wow! To be present at such an important historical event!"

Jack shot her a look. "I choose to respond thusly;" he stuck out his tongue and blew a raspberry, then calmly went back to eating his pizza as Cassie dissolved into giggles.

When Buffy finally stopped laughing, she sat there munching on her pizza and studying Jack. "You're a complete wiseass, aren't you?"

Cassie was nodding vigorously. Jack just shrugged. "It's what I do."

Buffy nodded. "And I'll just betcha that you're the type of guy that'll stop in the middle of a fight to make with the wisecracks, too."

Jack shrugged again, modestly. Cassie was still nodding vigorously. Jack looked at her sideways. "Cass, hon, if you keep that up your eyeballs are gonna wind up in my pizza, and that would just be gross. Seriously."

Carter had overheard some of the conversation, and chimed in. "Yeah, Buffy, you called it. He's famous across the galaxy for his ability to quip. Always has at least one or two smart-ass comments to offer up into the face of adversity. And the occasional senator." Jack shot her a dirty look. "Sorry. Must've been exposed to a bad influence. Or something." She took another bite, not even trying to hide her smirk.

"Keep it up, _major_." Carter gave him an innocent look. Jack snagged another slice, not quite able to suppress his grin. It was worth taking a little grief if it got Carter and Cassie to loosen up. Especially Cassie. He had made making Cassie's life easier his mission after Janet had died, and getting her to laugh like this was worth being the butt of the joke. He could always get Carter back later. Maybe at the wedding reception. Maybe he could get Pete to give him a hand. He seemed like he had a good sense of humor.

Buffy's opinion of SG-1 went up another notch as she watched them interact. _They're real people, just like us. This is gonna be fun. Okay, maybe not the apocalypse part, but still..._

Across the room, Illyria was watching the people around her with interest as she munched on the tacos that Angel had asked Giles to order for her. The tension that had pervaded the room earlier had disappeared, replaced with an easy comraderie that surprised her. The distrust the two groups had held for each other was obvious to the ancient God-King, but seemed to have evaporated quickly. The ability of these lesser beings to 'go on faith' was a constant source of amazement to her. She shook her head and took another bite of her taco.

In the middle of the room, predictably, Teal'c and Faith were trying to out eat the other. They had both downed two pizzas each and were working on the third, cheered on by a large (and rather vocal) group of spectators. Robin was cheering Faith on, wondering if he was going to have to spend the whole night tending to Faith while she was praying to the Porcelain God.

Daniel and Sam Finn were making bets with Vi and Giles. Riley refused to get involved, having bore witness to Teal'c's eating abilities and having heard about Faith's nearly legendary ability to put away the food.

Dawn was talking animatedly with Duncan and Kate about her latest training session with Amanda, who had taken her on as her apprentice. In spite of the fact that she was now one of the most powerful people on the planet, Dawn still enjoyed the swordplay, feeling it gave her more focus. Besides, it was fun.

Spike and Angel, sitting off to one side, were taking it all in quietly. Spike nudged Angel. "What we need is one of those bloomin' onions. That'd be right tasty right 'bout now."

Angel nodded, distracted. "You think we might be getting in over our heads this time?"

Spike snorted. "When in the last few years _haven't _we been in over our heads? 'Sides, way I see it, same old story, just with some new players."

"Yeah. Maybe so. Still seems weird, though. I mean, _aliens_? After everything I've seen, I'm still wigged."

"Okay, I get that. But hey, maybe we c'n ask 'em what they think about the old 'Cave-men versus Astronauts' question. Might have some insight we don't."

Angel brightened just a bit. "Hey! Yeah..."

Chapter the Fourth

The meeting had gone on till the wee hours, but exhaustion had finally set in and Giles sent everyone home to get some sleep. When he had offered to get rooms at the same hotel that Buffy and co. were staying at for SG-1 and co., Jack had asked if he was sure there would be that many rooms available. Giles had offered him a lopsided grin. "Well, we do own the place after all."

Jack had stood there for a second, then grinned himself. "Handy, that." And so, all concerned had set off to get some rest, although due to the time difference between Colorado and England, Riley, Sam, Cassie and SG-1 felt more like it was early evening.

Jack had wandered around his room restlessly for a bit. His mind wouldn't stop working long enough for him to get tired enough to sleep. The whole 'Slayer' thing bugged the crap out of him. Kids fighting a neverending war just didn't sit well with him. Couldn't sit well with him. Oh, sure, he respected what they could do, and what the Slayer Line had accomplished over it's long years, and he'd put his usual silly grin on his face and been completely supportive of Cassie, but the whole thing was eating away at him. Kids. It just wasn't... right. And Cassie especially. She was the daughter he'd never had. He couldn't bear the thought of her being hurt. Or worse.

Some days he felt that if he lost just one more of his kids, saw one more kid die, then there wouldn't be anything left of him. A little more of him died everytime. Skaar'a and Janet had almost been more than he could bear. And now he was in charge of the SGC.

The Boss.

The one who sent young people out to die.

For the life of him, he couldn't understand how George had done this job so well for so long.

Lord, but he wanted a beer.

Several, in fact.

_Awww, screw it! There has to be somewhere around here that I can get a drink at this hour. _He grabbed his jacket and key and headed out, only to run into Buffy in the hall. Literally. They both wound up on the floor. "Whoa, hey there tiger, sorry 'bout that, wasn't paying attention to where my big feet were taking me."

Buffy laughed, easily jumping back up and offering Jack a hand. "No big. Been hit a lot harder than that. Where're you off to at this hour?"

Jack actually had the good grace to look embarrassed. "Ummm, well, thought I'd go see if there was somewhere around here to get a drink. Is there? Maybe?" He tried not to look _too _hopeful.

Buffy grinned, shaking her head. "It's a twenty minute cab ride to the nearest pub or liquor store. Which was just one more reason Giles chose this place, to help keep the younger girls on the straight and narrow. Not that they do. Teen-agers and all." Jack nodded, grinning. Buffy looked at him thoughtfully. "Why the drink at this hour?"

"Time difference, it's early for me yet. Thought it'd help me relax,"he lied. _Mostly just wanna get stupid drunk and forget about the God! Damn! Goa'uld and the God! Damn! vampires and the fact that another one of my kids is putting her life on the line._

Buffy studied him for a minute. She knew depression when she saw it, even when buried as deep as Jack had buried it. "Uh huh. You like scotch?"

Jack stood there for a second, surprised by the question. "Umm, yeah. Sure. Why?"

"I've got some really good scotch in my room. Whaddaya say we go swap some war stories and get stupid, falling down drunk and lament the coming of yet another apocalypse?" She gave him a cheery smile.

Jack stood there for another second, then gave her his best smirk. "Best damn idea I've heard all year."

"Eeexcellent," said Buffy in her best Mr. Burns impression, unknowingly raising her stock with Jack another notch. "C'mon. I've even got snacks, brought back a bunch of American snacky goodness from our little trip to LA."

Jack laughed and rubbed his hands together. "Eeeexcellent!"

Chapter the Fifth

Two hours and a bottle and a half of scotch later...

"Waitwaitwaitwaitwait... singing? And dancing?"

"Yup - _hic _- complete with background music..."

"No way!"

"Way! - _hic_ - Chory...um...choreographed an' everthin'..."

"Yer yankin' my chain!"

"Nope. Swear to - _hic _- God. Some of it was pretty good, too. - _hic - _These _huge_ production numbers that woulda been good on Broadway. Or maybe the Rocky Horror Picture Show."

"Sounds fun."

"Woulda been, 'cept fer the whole 'if ya dance to long ya catch fire and burn up' thing." _hic_

"That'd suck."

"Yup. - _hic _- Definitely falls into th' drawback category."

"You've got th' hiccups."

"Noticed that, didja?" _hic_

"Kinda."

"'Salright. They'll go 'way. In a coupla days. - _hic - _Could be worse. There was this one time back in college that me 'n some other guys got turned inta cave-man-type-people when we drank some mojoed-up beer. Cave-Buffy was _soooo _not - _hic _- pretty. Although, beating Parker over the head with a stick was kinda fun..." She grinned maniacally, miming thunking Jack in the head with a stick.

"Cave-Buffy?" Jack was giggling just a bit.

"Yup. 'Cept, without the - _hic - _fur bikini."

Jack sat there for a minute, completely distracted by pictures of Buffy in a fur bikini running around his alchohol soaked mind. "We lead sheri... um,seriously weird lives."

"Nooo. Really?" Buffy sat there with a look of mock shock that wasn't at all convincing.

"Sure. Robot dupicates, time loops, people coming back from the dead, the neverending world save-age... Hell, I've even gotta mini-me-clone going to high school... there's more, but my brain isn't working right..."

"Kitten poker." _hic_

"Kitten poker?"

"Yup." _hic_

"I _sooo _don't wanna know."

"Oh, and you shoulda seen the - _hic -_ guests at Xander and Anya's wedding!" _hic_

Jack raised an unsteady eyebrow and reached for the Doritos. "Why's that?"

_Hic _"Well, she _was_ an ex-vengeance demon an' all..."

Chapter the Sixth

Slowly, very slowly, Brigadier General Jonathan 'Jack' O'Neill woke up.

And, noticing the fur that seemed to have grown on his tongue and the jackhammers pounding inside his skull, wished for the blissful peace of sleep to wash back over him. Or death. Either one was good right now. _Scotch. Whose good idea was that?_

He also noticed a few other things. Black ops training and all. One: He wasn't in his room. Two: He seemed to be naked. Three: There was something very soft and very warm pressed up against his back, and what felt like a very feminine leg draped over his own.

_Oh, crap!_

He tentatively reached his hand down and touched said feminine leg. _Nope. Not a dream. What the Hell did I do last night? Ooooh, yeah... right... _Memories started working their way through the fog.

The leg shifted as the owner of the leg began to stir. _Oh boy, here we go. C'mon, brain, work! Tell me I'm not laying here bare-assed with who I'm thinking I'm laying here bare-assed with..._

Behind him, Buffy Summers opened one eye and squinted balefully at the bright sunlight pouring through the window. "Oh, God. Scotch. Whose bright idea was that?"

_Yup, _thought Jack. _That's who I thought it was..._

Slowly, so as to keep his skull from exploding all over the lovely young woman next to him, Jack rolled over to greet the morning. Or perhaps his doom. "Umm, 'morning."

Buffy tried to smile, but it came out as more of a grimace. "Hey. I'd say good morning, but the way my head feels I don't think I'd really mean it."

"Right there with ya," Jack groaned, with feeling.

They lay there in awkward silence for a few minutes. Jack finally spoke up. "Sooo..."

"Umm..."

"Strange how two people who've just spent the night having hot, passionate sex can be all awkward the morning after, isn't it?"

"Yeah, I've noticed that. Kinda odd..."

"Yeah..."

"'Hot and passionate'?"

"What I can remember of it anyway..."

Buffy lay there, remembering, then slowly grinned. "Can't really argue with ya." The grin faded a bit. "Things are gonna get all strange and awkward now, aren't they?"

"Doesn't hafta be that way. We're both consenting adults of legal age. So what if we chose to take a little comfort in each other? I don't have a problem with this if you don't."

The grin was back. "Nope. No problems here. Well, except for this Godawful, mind-numbing, skull-splitting, stomach-wrenching, wish-my-head-would-just-explode-and-get-it-over-with, hangover."

"But the rest of it?"

"It's all good. Really, really good."

Jack smiled back. "Eeeexcellent."

"Kinda thinkin' maybe we oughta keep this to ourselves though."

"No argument here. Daniel would never let me hear the end of it."

"Think he'd disapprove, huh?"

"Not so much. He'd be more about paying me back for all the grief I've given _him_ over the years. I can already hear the cradle-robbing comments." He rolled his eyes.

Buffy just laughed. "Except for Riley, you're way under my usual age curve. Downright young, even."

"Oh. Not real sure if that's a compliment or not, so I'm just gonna take it as a good thing."

They lay in companionable silence for a bit. Buffy finally stretched, catlike. "Guess we oughta get moving, huh?"

"I'm not so sure that's a good idea."

"Oh?"

"Well, unless you _like _picking exploded skull fragments out of your pillows..."

Buffy pulled a face. "Gawd, no. Cleaning that stuff out of my clothes is bad enough." From the look on her face, Jack decided she wasn't kidding. Buffy thought for a second. "Wait a minute. I think I have some of Bethany's Patented Hangover Cure around here somewhere. Gimme a second."

Buffy crawled out of bed and padded over to her weapons cabinet. Jack raised up on one elbow, enjoying the view immensely. Buffy was bent over, rummaging through the drawers in the bottom of the cabinet. _Now, _that's _a nifty sight to wake up to in the morning._

"Aha! Here it is. Good for headaches, backaches, aches in general, and especially the occasional hangover." Buffy turned around, waving a packet of medicinal powder triumphantly. "Okay, what're _you_ gawkin' at?"

Jack just grinned lasciviously and nodded at her. Buffy looked down. "Oh. Yeah. Forgot about that." She looked back up at Jack and quirked an eyebrow. "Whatsa matter, never seen a naked blonde before?"

"Well, yeah, but it's been awhile." He scrunched up his face in thought. "Waaayyy too damn long. Makes me appreciate it that much more . Great way to start the day, gotta tell ya." The grin was back.

Buffy gave Jack one of her megawatt smiles. "Aww, shucks, you do know how to flatter a gal, don't ya? Anyway, gimme a minute, I'll get this stuff mixed up. It tastes bloody awful, but it does the trick." She went into the bathroom, grabbing two glasses from the table as she walked past. After thoroughly rinsing them out, she set about mixing the powder into the tap water. She turned at the sound of footsteps behind her to see Jack leaning against the door frame, holding his head with both hands.

"Did my head go ahead and fall off?" he asked through grit teeth.

"Nope."

"Damn."

"Yeah. Tell me about it. Here, drink up." She handed him a glass, which he eyed warily.

"Seems to me you said that very same thing last night."

"Don't remind me." She made a face as she emptied her own glass. "Gahh, I have _got _to get Bethany to find some way to make this stuff taste better."

Jack quirked an eyebrow, then downed his own glass. Buffy couldn't help but giggle at the face Jack made as he swallowed the foul tasting concoction. "I think I know what battery acid tastes like now," he gasped.

"Mocha latte it ain't," she agreed.

The medicine started working quickly, and they both felt more human by the minute. They stood there, not talking, for a few minutes. Jack finally broke the silence. "Not that I'm in a hurry to go, mind you, but I probably ought to get back to my room before Carter and Daniel send out a search party. Could get embarrassing."

Buffy wore a bemused look. "Yeah. Been there, done that. You might as well use my shower before you go."

"You sure?"

"Nah, go ahead. You do kinda look all death warmed over like."

"Gee, thanks. Flatterer."

She smirked. "No prob. Go ahead, I'll grab some towels."

Jack admired the view for a moment longer, then started the water running in the shower. He shook his head, grinning. _Why do I have the feeling this is gonna come back and bite me in the ass? Oh well, deal with it when it happens. There're certainly worse things to have bite you in the butt..._

A blast of cool air hit him as the shower curtain was swept aside. "Need somebody to scrub your back?"

One hour (and one loooong shower) later, Buffy opened her door and stuck her still damp head into the hall. "All clear."

She opened the door the rest of the way and Jack stepped past her. He stopped and turned back to her, smiling. "Well, Miss Summers, I want to thank you for a _most_ pleasant time," he said, taking her hand.

She carefully sketched a short curtsy so as to not lose the towel she had wrapped around her. "Why thank you kind sir. I had rather a good time myself. In fact, I wouldn't be opposed to repeating the experience sometime. Perhaps after the world save-age?"

"Madame, I am at your service." He leaned in for a quick kiss.

Which is, of course, when Carter, Daniel, Cassie, Willow, Dawn, Kennedy and the Finns came walking around the corner.

To the sight of a towel-clad Buffy.

Kissing Jack.

For one long moment, everybody froze, bug-eyed. And then Dawn started giggling.

Jack and Buffy exchanged glances. "Oh, for cryin' out loud..."

_To be continued_

Please, please, please feedback! This thing has sorta taken on a life of its own, and it'd be nice to know if I need to get the shotgun out...

I'm not really planning on having Buffy and Jack become a couple, it just seemed like they could stand to have some fun. And no, I'm not turning Buffy into an alcoholic. She's just spent _waaayyyy _too much time around Giles and Spike. And scotch.

Later ;)

_'To thee no star be dark'_


	5. Part V

Summary: When Willow figures out more of what Cerephus (the Immortal) has planned, our intrepid heroes plan a pre-emptive strike. And a wedding. But will the strike against the Immortal Goa'uld go off as planned? Tune in and check it out, campers!

Crossover: Highlander, Stargate SG-1

Warnings: Character death

Notes: I know the first few parts of this story were a little slow, but I swear I'm building up to the good stuff. There's action, not to mention pre-wedding and wedding wackiness on its way. Oh, and that whole apocalypse thing. Honest!

Disclaimer: I look into bank my account and find it pretty darn nigh to empty. Yup, guess that means it's still all theirs. Think I'll go cry now...

DID SOMEBODY SAY SOMETHING ABOUT NOT FADING AWAY? PART V

By screaminheathen69

Prologue

For 9,500 years, Cerephus hid in plain sight. He immersed himself in the mystical world, learning all that he could, growing ever more powerful as the millenia passed by. He was always careful to hide the fact that he was Goa'uld, knowing that his time for retribution would eventually present itself. Besides, life wasn't all that bad, what with the Immortality and magic, not to mention good ol' fashioned Goa'uld science. And he had certainly come to enjoy the company of human females.

By necessity, he became an expert swordsman, mastering several martial arts over the long years. Every few hundred years or so, he'd get bored and actively seek out a worthy opponent. But usually, he'd just use the ribbon device to disable his adversaries, taking their heads while they were incapacitated.

He spent far more time and effort mastering the magycks, delving deep into all things mystical, growing ever more powerful knowing that the day of retribution would eventually come. And when that day arrived, not only would the Tau'ri pay, but the System Lords themselves would bow down before his might.

So he was patient. Patience was one of the many things he learned from his host, and probably the most valuable. He hid the fact that he had become a powerful sorcerer, even to the point of spreading the reputation that he didn't use magic. His patience allowed him to bide his time, waiting for the perfect opportunity to present itself. Which of course, it eventually did. Or, more to the point, a series of events.

First, when Anubis foolishly attacked and proceeded to get his butt thoroughly kicked.

Second, the day a certain Slayer walked into his life.

Third, when he figured out that she was in fact there to spy on him. Not to mention a few other useful little tidbits.

He knew it was finally time.

And set about making it happen.

Chapter the First

It has been proven beyond a shadow of a doubt (by Samantha Carter herself, mind you) that the only thing that can travel faster than an SG team through a wormhole is gossip. In fact, wormhole travel seems intractably slow when compared to the Speed of Gossip. So by the time Buffy had gotten dressed and made her way down to the cafeteria to get a rather late breakfast, people were already snickering and giving her 'the look'. You know, _that _look, the one you see aimed your way when an especially juicy bit of gossip has just been let loose at your expense.

_Ye Gods, but it's gonna be one of those days... _She found an empty table near the windows and plunked down her dangerously overloaded tray. She was ravenous this morning. She smiled to herself as thoughts of why she was so hungry came drifting back. _Ahh, let 'em gossip. The looks on Daniel and Riley's faces were priceless. May hafta look into a shutting-up spell for Dawnie, though._

She shrugged and attacked her breakfast with gusto. There were times when she loved her Slayer metabolism. Grudgingly, she put thoughts of last night out of her mind and turned her thoughts to Cassie's Slayer dream. She had no doubt that it was genuine, and that it was time to save the world yet again. They'd known for a while now that Cerephus was planning something big, but nobody'd had a clue it was _this _big. And the whole Goa'uld situation complicated matters, of course. If it was just Cerephus, they would be able to take him down cleanly. But, no, he had had to go off and be an alien as well as an Immortal, apparently planning to bring in big ol' spaceships and the whole nine yards. _Aaarrrgghhh!_

It irked her no end, but she had to admit to herself that she didn't know where to go from here. Aliens were just a bit outside her normal field. Vampires, demons, the odd Hell-God, sure, no problem. But aliens?

Also, the thought of Slayers on other worlds, not knowing what they were, or why the had become what they were, was bugging her too. _We're gonna hafta do sumthin' 'bout that. Maybe we can send some teams offworld to help 'em out. _She giggled at the thought of Slayer-Nauts._ I'll talk to Jack about it later. Give everyone some more gossip ammunition._

"Mornin', B." Faith plopped into the chair across from Buffy and plunked her boots up on the table. She was smirking something fierce, eyebrow quirked. "Girl, you wouldn't _believe _the story I just heard..."

Chapter the Second

Willow Rosenberg was officially exhausted. Strung out. Pooped, even. She hadn't slept well, and what little sleep she had gotten was plagued by dreams. Or, more specifically, Cassie's dream. It kept coming back to her in fragments, glimpses of what was to come. Maybe. She'd awakened repeatedly, sweating and shaking, more terrified than she'd been in years. Even with Kenendy beside her, comforting her, she couldn't seem to calm down.

But through it all, she kept feeling that she was missing something, some important clue that would help them to stop it all from happening. So, after watching the clock creep past seven AM, she gave up on sleep and settled herself on the floor to meditate. She opened herself up to Gaia, refreshing herself, and then turned her mind to the dream.

_- Cerephus stood before an army of demons, making a speech in some language she couldn't understand - a meeting, probably at Giles'. They were all there, looking grim, as Teal'c was talking about something called a 'Za'tarc' - a battle in space, with Earth shining as a backdrop, the _Prometheus _and her fighters taking on three Ha'tak class motherships, along with dozens of Al'kesh and deathgliders. And losing - Cerephus waving his hand, an orange colored force throwing his enemies back - Jack, arguing loudly with somebody named Anise (no unresolved sexual tension there, thought Willow) - falling, falling, Slayers falling all around her - Angel looking down at the stake in his chest, shocked, turning to dust as Nina howled, her grief turning to rage, letting loose the wolf - Willow, Cassie, Connor, Illyria and Dawn, back to back, fighting against overwhelming numbers - an explosion of lightning as an errant staff blast took Duncan's head off - Buffy, staff weapon in hand, shooting down Kennedy - her friends, battered and bloody, laying dead - Willow, eyes and hair gone jet-black, blood oozing from the burst veins in her forehead, drawing power from a glowing ball of green energy and channeling it into the Hellmouth - the world burning, burning -_

_- burning -_

_- burning -_

_- everything, everyone -_

_- burning -_

_- oh - my - Goddess - _

_- I can hear the Earth **SCREAMING** -_

Willow came out of the trance screaming. Kennedy came running from the bathroom, still dripping from the shower. "Willow? God, Red, what is it?"

Willow drew in a shuddering breath. "Oh. My. Goddess." This was _soooo _not good.

Chapter the Third

Dawn and Spike were seated at the computer in her room, browsing through the files Samantha Carter had provided. Having finally finished laughing at Dawn's retelling of the events of earlier in the morning (_God, Spike, you shoulda seen it! Riley's eyes were all bugged out, and his mouth kept moving, but no sounds were coming out. It was hilarious_!), they were reading through SG-1's mission reports, only up to somewhere around the third or fourth year. Dawn was duly impressed, and even Spike was forced to admit he was impressed as well. He especially liked the fact they'd taken down that Seth creep. _Hell, I was _evil _when we crossed paths and I hated the miserable bastard..._

Dawn was humming quietly to herself. Spike had spent the better part of an hour trying to place the familiar tune, but couldn't quite place it. She pointed at the screen. "Look, another alternate reality entry. Wonder if there are any more of me out there. Wonder if that mirror thingy could get to the 'world without shrimp'. And here, they helped negotiate a 'protected planets' treaty. Geez, I'd love to meet this Thor guy. Ooooo, the SGC was invaded! We've been invaded!" She said, grinning goofily.

"Marvelous. I'm all a twitter at the thought. 'Ere, looks like they went to some snakeheads idea of Hell. Sounds lovely."

Dawn rolled her eyes and kept reading, still humming. "Hmmmm, hey, Jack was trapped on some planet called Edora for a hundred days. Got back and helped shut down an illegal NID operation. Good for him!"

Spike scrunched up his face, thinking. "Where do I know NID from, pet?"

"You know, the NID? The nice people that signed the checks for the Initiative? That chip you had shoved up your noggin was probably derived from something SG-1 brought back. Neat, huh?" She grinned her most ingratiating grin.

Spike glared daggers at her. "No. 'Neat' would be the _last _word I'd use to describe that bloody buggerin' piece o' shite."

She just giggled and resumed her reading and humming. Spike found himself humming along with her, wishing he could remember the name of the damn thing. Dawn glanced at her watch, and started shutting down the 'puter. "We'd better get going. Giles called a meeting in about twenty minutes. Hope it doesn't take too long, Amanda's due in later for sword practice." She stuffed the files and her laptop into a carry-all, scooping up her katana as they went out the door.

"That's a nifty bit of hardware you've got there, Nibblet. Mind if I take a look?" Dawn shrugged and handed him the sword, humming again. He gently unsheathed the blade, giving it a few experimental swings and admiring the balance. "Very nice. Where'd ya come up with this, then?" he asked, studying the green and white inlaid handgrip.

"Gift from Duncan and Kate. They had five commissioned after we got through with Glory. Me, Buffy, Giles, Willow and Xander each got one. They're identical, except for the coloring of the handgrips, and the engraving on the blades. Buffy's is red and white, Xander's is blue and red, Willow's is white and violet and Giles' is gold and silver. The engraving is our names and a blessing in Celtic."

"Celtic? On a katana?"

"His name _is _MacLeod, dummy."

"Oh. Right. Makes sense then, dunnit?" He sheathed the sword and handed it back to her. "You mind if I tag along? Dunno what I'm gonna do today otherwise, might pick up a few pointers."

"Sure. Amanda'd probably love to meet you anyway. Maybe use you for a practice dummy."

"Nothin' like a spot o' violence to make the day go by quicker."

"Ain't it the truth."

"It's a date, then," he said with a smirk.

"Long as you leave the handcuffs in your room," she said, grinning evily.

Spike was, for once, speechless. Gathering his wits, he followed her down the stairs. _Nibblet's growin' up. Wait a sec. That song. 'Where do we go from here?' What the Hell is she hummin' _that_ damn thing for? And why the Hell am _I _humming it? Ahhh, bugger it all, it's gonna be stuck in my head the rest of the bloody day..._

Chapter the Fourth

As soon as Willow had calmed down enough to think coherently, she went in search of Giles. She found him, as well as Daniel, in the conference room discussing the Pergamum Codex. "Hey there Giles, Daniel." They both nodded in greeting, caught up in their conversation. "Umm, Giles, I needed to talk to you for a minute. Or three. Before the rest of the crew gets here."

Giles glanced at her, then took a longer look as he saw her obvious agitation. Daniel noticed how disturbed she looked as well. "Umm, I can step out if..."

Willow waved a hand. "No, no. Stay, please. You're a part of all this too. I, uh, well... I couldn't sleep very well last night. Kept having nightmares about what Cassie showed us."

Giles put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "That's not all that surprising, Willow. It was rather intense."

"No. I mean, yeah, intense, definitely. Sure. But it was more than that. I kept feeling like there was something I was missing, something important, I just couldn't see it. So this morning, I did a memory spell, went into the dream so I could see it more clearly. It, uhh... kinda freaked me out."

Daniel quirked an eyebrow. "'Freaked you out'?"

"World class wiggins, actually. Scared the crap out of Kennedy when I came out of the trance screaming. But I can remember the whole thing clearly now. We may be in bigger trouble than we thought."

"Bigger trouble than the world turning into a charcoal briquet? Startin' to think I don't wanna know what your definition of 'big' trouble is," Daniel said dryly.

Giles smiled. "No, you really don't." He turned back to Willow, who was wringing her hands nervously. "Tell me what you saw, dear."

"It'd be easier if I just show you both, okay?" Giles nodded, Daniel did a moment later, albeit somewhat uncertainly. Willow touched a hand to each of their temples and closed her eyes. "Just relax. Be with me..."

A minute later, Willow sat back, taking a deep breath, as Giles and Daniel came back to themselves. To her amusement, they both immediately started cleaning their glasses. "Dear Lord," Giles said tiredly. It was every nightmare he'd had about Dark Willow for the last two years. In technicolor.

"Yeah. Tell me about it. That's why it looked so familar yesterday. It's pretty much what would've happened two years ago if you and Xander hadn't stopped me."

Daniel, mind still on the vision, came back to the conversation. "Umm, huh? Who stopped what and how?"

Giles cast a glance at Willow, who shrugged. "Two years ago, a man named Warren Mears had teamed up with two other young men from Sunnydale"

"The Nerd Trio. Giganimous pains in the ass, lemme tell ya," interrupted Willow.

"Yes, anyway, they took a special interest in the Slayer, Buffy, and caused no end of grief to her, as well as being a general nuisance to all and sundry. Buffy, Willow, and the rest of their friends managed to keep them from causing too much trouble."

Willow nodded. " 'Cept for when they froze that security guard. And sicked those demons on Buffy. And zapped Buffy and made her Invisible-Girl. And that time loopy thing at the Magic Box"

"Er, yes, I believe he has the general idea, Willow." Daniels eyes had long since glazed over. "Anyway, Buffy stopped them from robbing an armored car, capturing his accomplices, one of whom was Andrew. Warren got away, only to show up at Buffy's house the next morning. With a gun. He fired several times, hitting Buffy and nearly killing her. Willow and Tara, her girlfriend at the time, were upstairs. A stray bullet killed Tara. Right in front of Willow." He paused and took a breath. It was still painful to think about, let alone talk about. Tara was truly special. "Willow was rather upset by this, of course..."

"'Upset'? Geez Giles, British much?" Daniel laughed quietly as Giles rolled his eyes. "I went postal, Daniel. Apocalyptically postal. I tracked down Warren and flayed him alive, then went after Andrew and Jonathan. And I didn't care who got in the way. I threatened to turn Dawn back into a green glowball, I kicked Buffy's ass all over the Magic Box, and then I almost killed Giles when he showed up all Gandalf-y to stop me."

"Gandalf-y?"

"It's a word. Hush. We fought. I won. I took his magic, which was pure, white magyck. It made me able to feel all the pain, everywhere. Everbody, all over the world, all their suffering. It was too much. I decided to end the pain, end it all. I dug up this old temple and set about destroying the world. Would have, too, if Xander hadn't showed up when he did. He, along with the white magyck, managed to reach the last spark of humanity I still had and talk me down. I spent the next year learning to control the magic in me, until I finally managed to tap into the light side of the Force last year when we were fighting the First. Anyway, what happens at the end of the vision, the Earth burning?"

Daniel nodded. "Yeah, it's indelibly burned into my memory."

"Well, that's pretty much what would've happened if they hadn't stopped me. And we wouldn't be sitting here right now having this conversation. Totally wigged out yet?" She gave him a sunny smile, trying not to sink into the depression she usually found herself in when reminded of the events surrounding Tara's death.

"Nah. Not really. Save the world a few times, die, ascend, and come back again, guess you get used to it. That's a scary thought, actually. The getting used to it. Anyway, you think maybe you're the one to light the match, so to speak?"

"Seems like. I went all dark and veiny after Tara was killed. In the dream, I go all nasty after Buffy fries Kennedy with that staff weapon. And I'm pretty sure that was Dawn I was drawing energy from."

Giles nodded. "It would certainly seem so, yes."

Daniel had his eyes closed, thinking. "In the dream, didn't I hear Teal'c say something about a za'tarc?"

Willow thought for a second. "Umm, yeah. Why? What's a za'tarc?"

"A za'tarc is someone who's been programmed by the Goa'uld to be a spy, or more commonly an assassin. They have no idea that they've been programmed until the triggering event happens. If I understand correctly, these Slayer dreams are usually prophetic, right?"

"Yes," answered Giles.

"Then I guess it follows that we're being warned that there's a za'tarc amongst us. Or maybe more than one. And as much as I hate to say this, Buffy is the most likely candidate."

Willow was quick to defend her friend. "No! No way, not Buffy! She couldn't"

"Yes, she could. And she wouldn't have a clue. Not her, or anybody else that's been programmed. Believe me, I've seen it." He shuddered at the memory. They'd been people he'd known, been friends with. "For that matter, it could just as easily be Kennedy, and that's why Buffy had to shoot her. Or will have shot her. In the future. This is almost as confusing as time travel, you know?"

"Ooooh, yeah."

"Anyway, what I'm saying is, it could be any one of us. We're gonna have to find out. Which probably brings us to Anise. Jack's gonna be thrilled," he said, pulling a face that had Willow and Giles chuckling.

"Old girlfriend?" asked Willow.

"No, just a monumental pain in the ass."

"You guys talking about Spike, are ya?" Angel asked as he walked in, followed by Dawn and Spike. Nina had opted to go do some sight-seeing while Angel was tied up at the meeting. She thought it'd be nice to go out in the daylight and actually be able to _see _the sights.

"Peaches, you can just stick it" Dawn put a hand over Spikes mouth before he got on a roll.

"Later you two. Hey guys." Dawn waved her free hand while guiding Spike to a chair. "What's up?"

Giles cleared his throat. "Er, I believe we'll wait until everybody gets here, if that's all right. I'm quite sure I'll have to repeat myself numerous times as it is."

Dawn just rolled her eyes. Willow caught Xander as he came in and gave him a heartfelt hug. He hugged back, confused. "Not that I don't always enjoy Willow-huggage, but what's up, Will?"

She squeezed a little tighter. "Just wanted to say thanks, is all."

"You're welcome. For what?"

"Saving the world, dummy. And for being so very Xander-y."

"Oh. No problem. Always happy to save the world. And to be Xander-y."

Down the hall Buffy caught up to Jack. "Hey, Jack, wait up a sec!"

"Afternoon, Buffy. Hey, heard any good gossip lately?" he asked conversationally.

"Oh, you know, the usual. Faith and Robin broke a table in the cafeteria, this Slayer has a crush on that Watcher, some stuff about these two people having the kinky sex. Rumors abound aplenty. You?"

"The same, the same. Didn't take long, did it?"

"Nope. Not that I figured it would, what with Dawn being there and all. Super powered gossip monger, she is. Was kinda funny, though."

"Oh, definitely. Wish I had a picture of Carter's expression." He smirked at the thought. "And didja notice how nobody seems to be quite as worried about that pesky end of the world thing anymore?"

"Oh, definitely. Amazing how one good, juicy bit of gossip can totally outweigh an apocalypse. 'End of the world, yadda yadda, demon army, yadda yadda, alien horde, yadda yadda, oh say, didja hear about who did who now?' Some people are just too easily entertained." Buffy threw her hands up in mock exasperation.

"Ain't it the truth, ain't it the truth." They walked into the conference room laughing, to see a sea of eyes looking at them. They were the last to arrive. Buffy gave a little wave as Jack smiled lopsidely, muttering a 'morning campers'.

Dawn was giving Buffy the eye. "'Delayed', were you?"

Willow tried to choke back her laughter and wound up snorting coffee out her nose.

Chapter the Fifth

In the end, it was quicker and easier for Willow to simply share the vision with the rest of the group than to try to explain it. There was a protracted silence after, everybody sitting there shocked, looking around at each other uncomfortably. It was a lot to take in.

Jack finally broke the silence. "Crap. Anise. The end of the world, that I can deal with. But do we really have to bring Anise into this? I mean, really... The System Lords, Replicators, evil senators, even the occasional attack of the Nerd People, bring 'em on, them I can handle, but I _sooo _am not in the mood for Anise."

Carter patted a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "You'll find a way to persevere, sir." She managed to keep the sarcasm out of her voice. Almost. Jack shot her a dirty look.

Kennedy and Buffy were staring at each other, both wanting to say something, anything. Buffy cleared her throat. "That is _not _going to happen, Kennedy. I won't let it." Kennedy just nodded, unable to find the right words.

Angel stirred in his chair. "We won't let any of it happen. We've been warned, so now we stop it. I... _we_ will _not _lose anyone else. Not this time. Not ever again, if I have anything to do with it."

Spike thumped a fist on the table. "Damn skippy we won't."

Teal'c did that nodding thing he does. "Indeed. WillowRosenberg, were you able to determine a time frame for the impending battle?"

"Not exactly, no. I get the feeling we've got a month, maybe two though."

Kaithlynn Lockley leaned forward and rested her elbows on the table. "How do you figure that?"

"In the dream, Faith was wearing her wedding band. The wedding is still three weeks off, so short of the wedding getting moved up..." She gave a little shrug and looked at Faith.

Faith nodded, eyes closed. "Yeah, Red, I am wearing it. And I think you're right. Month, maybe two. Feels about right." She sighed and smiled tiredly. "Helluva honeymoon, huh babe?" Robin just shook his head, resigned.

Daniel turned to Jack. "What about that whole za'tarc issue, Jack? We need to figure out who, if anybody, had been compromised."

"Yeah, yeah. I know. Carter, when we're through here, have the _Prometheus _beam you back to the SGC. See if you can get ahold of Jacob and have him bring one of those zanax detectors. Preferably without Anise." She nodded, smiling. "I know he's due here in a couple of weeks anyway, but try to get a signal through to Thor while you're at it, see if the Asgard can spare a ship or two. It was pretty obvious the _Prometheus _was losing, and losing bad. I'd rather avoid that. Like to avoid the whole damn thing, actually."

"Right there with you, sir."

"Also, see if the Tok'ra or any of the rebel Jaffa have heard any rumors about an impending invasion. It'd be nice to have more than our usual last minute warning. For once." Jack was rubbing his temples. He could feel the migraine coming on.

Teal'c had been sitting quietly, as usual, and thinking hard. "Would it not be prudent to take action against Cerephus now, thereby preventing him from setting these events in motion? A surgical strike, as it were? While it might not stop the Goa'uld fleet from arriving, if I have correctly interpreted the vision WillowRosenberg and CassandraFraiser have shared with us, it would seem that Cerephus himself is responsible, directly or indirectly, for the final destruction of Earth. If we were to remove him from the photograph"

"That's 'take him out of the picture', T," said Jack.

"Thank you, O'Neill. If we were to take him out of the picture now, we would be able to devote our full attention to the defeat of the invading fleet."

Faith nodded. "Man's got a point. I'd be down with little pre-emptive ass kickin'."

Giles turned to Buffy and Kaithlynn. "You two have studied the Immortal more closely than any of us. Do you feel we could take him down successfully?"

Buffy shrugged. "Probably. Depends on how much he knows. I think it's a safe bet he knows more than we thought."

Kaithlynn nodded. "He's been planning this for a long time. I'm pretty sure that what we've dug up on him so far is just the tip of a very large iceberg. If what Daniel thinks is true, and he's the same Cerephus that built the pyramids for Ra, then who knows what wonderful little tricks he's come up with in the last ten thousand years."

"Spike and me'll be happy to do it. Be nice to settle up that old score," Angel said with a nasty grin.

"Too bloody right. Definitely want in on that," said Spike.

Jack chimed in. "If you do go after him, I'd like SG-1 to go with you. They'd know what to look for Goa'uld-wise."

Duncan cleared his throat. "Since he's an Immortal, I'd better come along as well. I don't know what would happen to the rest of you if his Quickening was released without another Immortal there to take it."

There were many more volunteers. Buffy finally stood up and help up a hand for quiet. "Okay, I think we all agree that taking out the Immortal Snakehead is what needs to happen, right?" She nodded and smiled as the group unanimously agreed. "Good. Here's what I'm thinking. We put together two strike teams. I'll lead one, Faith will lead the other. Willow, Dawn, Duncan, Spike, Angel, Col. Carter, Teal'c, Daniel and Cassie, I'd like all of you to come with. There may be a few more, but I'm not sure who yet. I wanna keep the groups small. And, yes, Kennedy, you'll be in whichever group Willow goes in. We'll get together in a couple of days and sort out group assignments. In the meantime, we research. Find out everything we can about Cerephus and what he's got planned. I don't want to go into this blind. Like Angel said, I'm through losing people. Questions, Comments?"

From somewhere down the table, one of the younger Slayers spoke up. "Let's kick his ass!" Buffy grinned as applause broke out.

"Okay people. Let's go save the world. Again."

Chapter the Sixth

The next afternoon, Jack's cell phone rang while he was sitting in a meeting with Buffy, Faith and Giles. "Yello, O'Neill here. Oh, hey Carter. Didja get ahold of your old man?"

"Yes sir. He'll be here in a couple of hours with a za'tarc detector, and any intelligence the Tok'ra have that might help us."

"Sweet. Any other news?"

"Nothing from Thor or the Jaffa rebels yet. The Asgard High Command said Thor is currently helping evacuate one of their colonies, but thought he'd be loose in a few days. They promised they'd have him contact us."

"Sweet again. Good work, Sam."

"Thank you, sir. Umm, dad did tell me he was going to be bringing some company with him..."

"No! You are _not _about to tell me he's bringing _her_! He wouldn't do that to me! I thought Jacob liked me!" Giles, Buffy and Faith were staring at him curiously. He pulled a face and shrugged.

"I don't know who it is, he didn't give me any names, but he did say they were three of the Slayers that had been found amongst the Tok'ra. They were hoping to meet with our new friends. Do you think it would be possible for Buffy and Giles to be here when they arrive?"

"Umm, hang on a sec, I'll ask 'em." He covered the mouthpiece. "Hey, you kids busy this afternoon?"

Buffy shrugged. "The usual. Coupla training sessions. Somebody could cover for me though."

"I was going to help Willow with some research, but it can wait till tomorrow if need be," said Giles.

"Meetin' with the caterer 'n the manager of the reception hall," said Faith. "What?" She just stared back at Buffy and Giles' incredulous looks. "Yes. I'm planning my wedding. Deal with it."

Jack smiled lopsidedly at Faith, then turned back to the other two. "So, you two feel like a trip to Colorado Springs? Got some company coming."

Thirty minutes later, a bemused Jack O'Neill beamed up to the _Prometheus, _plus five. Upon finding out where Giles and Buffy were going, Willow, Dawn and Xander had cajoled their way into coming along. Not that Jack really minded. He had actually enjoyed the show, laughing quietly to himself while Willow and Dawn had begged, pleaded and wheedled. Xander had just looked at Jack and asked "Hey, dude, mind if I tag along?" They had time for a quick tour, so he showed them the engine room and the hangar bay, ending up at the bridge.

"...So, I tried to get 'em to name her _Enterprise_, but they had their minds made up on _Prometheus,_" he was saying as they stepped onto the bridge.

Dawn was studying everything intently. "Okay, I get that. You big nerd. But really, she's more _Galactica _than _Enterprise_. More utilitarian, more of a battleship. What?" she asked at the looks her sister and Willow were giving her. "So I watched a _Battlestar Galactica _marathon or two with Xander back in the day. Sue me. Oh, wow..." She trailed off as she caught sight of the view out the viewport.

"Yeah. Never get tired of that," Jack said quietly. Dawn and Willow went and leaned against the viewport, and both of them were very quiet for a while.

Buffy leaned close to Jack. "Gee, Jack, you sure do know how to impress a gal." She fluttered her lashes at him, giggling as the blush climbed slowly past his collar. Xander made little gagging noises, while Giles just rolled his eyes. "Shuddup Xan." Xander made a 'who, me?' gesture and walked over to stand next to Willow.

Buffy giggled and turned back to Jack. "Sorry. Couldn't help myself."

"Don't worry about it. Carter's had almost a full day to get the gossip wagon moving, I'm sure news of our little tryst is already making the rounds. In fact, I bet I get a call from Hammond inside of two days." He glanced at his watch. "We'd better get a move on, Jacob's supposed to be arriving in about twenty minutes, don't want you kids to miss the show." Dawn, Willow and Xander reluctantly turned from the view and the group headed for the cargo bay.

As they materialised in the conference room overlooking the gate room, Willow was grinning. "Man, I gotta tell ya, it's great to teleport around and not be all pooped afterwards. A witch could get used to this." Jack laughed and gestured them towards the window.

"Well, if you liked the Asgard transporters, you're gonna love what's coming up next." The Scoobies were startled as klaxons began blaring, but relaxed when they saw the grin on Jack's face.

"OFF-WORLD ACTIVATION. SECURITY TO THE EMBARKATION ROOM, REPEAT: OFF-WORLD ACTIVATION. SECURITY TO THE EMBARKATION ROOM."

Jack's grin widened as he nodded down at the spinning gate. "Watch this..."

The vortex _whooshed _out and back before settling into the stable event horizon. Dawn let out a squeal, leaning into the window along with Willow, whose mind was working overtime, trying to wrap around the physics of the impossibility of a stable wormhole.

Giles stood there in quiet amazement. "Most impressive."

Buffy blinked, looked at Jack, and said "_Wicked_!"

Xander took a deep breath, wide eyed. "Great googly moogly..." Jack's grin was threatening to become a full blown smirk.

Jacob Carter stepped through the gate, followed by two female Tok'ra carrying a large box. And Anise.

"_Aaaarrrrggghhhh_! I _knew _it!" Jack started beating his head against the window, saying 'I knew it' over and over, thumping his head against the glass on each 'knew'. Below them, Jacob looked around, trying to identify where the dull thudding sound he was hearing was coming from. It reminded him of the sound of a watermelon hitting the ground. He finally spotted Jack beating his head against the observation window, four young people and an older man watching him with bemused expressions. He turned to Anise, trying to hide his grin.

"Guess Jack knows you're here."

Chapter the Seventh

Thirty minutes and a quick check up in the infirmary later, Jack, Carter, Buffy, Willow, Dawn, Xander, Giles, Jacob, Anise and the two Tok'ra females were gathered in the conference room. Jack was holding an icepack to his forehead as he downed two extra strength Excedrin.

"Soooo... Jacob, good to see you again." He managed a civil nod to Anise. "Care to introduce the rest of your group?"

Jacob nodded. "These are two of our Slayers, Aht'ell and Na'reen." The women both bowed their heads in greeting.

"Nice to meet ya. Thought you were gonna bring three Slayers with you, Jacob. The other one get cold feet?"

Anise looked at Jack with an amused expression. "What would the temperature of my feet have to do with my coming here or not, General O'Neill?" The Scoobies were somewhat taken aback by her voice, which was deep and faintly mechanical sounding.

"Huh? Oh, wait a minute... _You're _one of the Slayers?"

"Indeed. Or, more accurately, it is my host Freya that has become a Slayer. She was just as shocked at the change as I, if not more so. We have thus far found it to be an exhilarating experience. We had hoped to come to Earth for a time, in order to learn of our Slayer heritage and participate in training with our Slayer sisters." She was studying Buffy closely as she said the last.

Buffy smiled. "Glad to have you. Unless Jack has some objection..."

"No! I mean, no, I have _no_ objection to Anise and her friends going with you. Far from here. Train. Study. Enjoy the pleasant sisterhood of slayage. By all means." Jack was practically blathering.

Xander smothered a grin. "Guess that's settled, then. Welcome to Earth, home of the many oogly-booglys that go bump in the night."

Aht'ell gave Xander a confused look. "'Oogly-booglys'?"

"Technical term. Just one more item on the curriculum, right G-Man?"

Giles raised a pleading look toward Heaven, and as usual got no response. "I suppose so, yes. We'll be happy to make arrangements for you at the hotel in Devon. Have you any special needs that we should be aware of?"

"No, just a place to stay. Appropriate clothing would be appreciated as well," Anise said.

Dawn grinned. "Excellent! I smell an impending shopping expedition!" She chose to ignore the horrified look on Giles' face.

Jack shook his head tiredly, happy that Anise was Buffy's problem and not his. "So, Jacob, did you kids dig anything up on this Cerephus guy?"

Jacob bowed his head as Selmak took over. "We didn't have to dig all that far, General O'Neill. I knew Cerephus, long ago. Worked under him briefly here on Earth, about one hundred years before the Uprising. At the time, he was a brilliant engineer. He designed the pyramid landing platforms, as well as backwards engineering a great deal of what we now know to be technology of the Ancients. He was a third level Goa'uld, but ambitious. He was always on the lookout for ways to advance himself. During his time on Earth, he became obsessed with what you would call the occult. I didn't understand why at the time, believing it to be the stuff of fantasy, no more than myths and legends." Selmak heaved a tired sigh. "I guess we know better now, don't we..."

Anise leaned forward. "Unfortunately, nothing is known of Cerephus after the time of the Uprising. He was presumed killed along with the rest."

Jack arched an eyebrow. "Yeah. And how many of those 'presumed dead' Goa'uld have shown up here on Earth since then? Don't answer that, it was rhetorical."

"Indeed. Unfortunately, we have nothing to report as regards an impending invasion. If there is a fleet being readied to attack Earth, they are keeping it well hidden. Rest assured, every ship we can spare is searching even as we speak, and word is being spread to all our covert operatives. We will not rest until we have confirmation, one way or the other," Anise finished, looking at Jack.

"Thanks. We do appreciate it."

Jacob spoke up again. "One piece of good news, Jack; there are two Al'kesh on their way here now, fully crewed and armed to the teeth. They should be here in seven days time."

Carter gave her father a huge grin. "That's great, dad!" She turned to Jack. "With two fully armed Al'kesh to back up the _Prometheus_, she might just stand a chance, sir."

"Definitely better odds than we usually have. Let's just keep our fingers crossed that our resident wicca over there is right about the timetable." Willow shifted uncomfortably in her seat as all eyes turned to her.

"Hey, I didn't send the darn dream, I just helped make it clearer. Any erroneous images are the sole responsibility of the sender, not the send-ee." Several chuckles floated around the table.

Buffy patted Willow's hand. "Don't fret it, Will. It'll probably turn out the whole thing was just the First messing with us to get a rise out of us. It'll happen when it happens, just like always." Willow nodded, trying to sink into her chair.

Jacob turned back to Jack. "Anyway Jack, if I can borrow Sam for a while, we can start checking out the SGC personnel while Anise, Aht'ell and Na'reen head back to England with our new friends here and start checking their crew. And just for your edification, the four of us will be the first to be tested before you folks leave. All right?" Everybody agreed. Jack declared the meeting at an end, and the group started filing out.

Xander caught Jack at the door to his office. "Hey, Jack, I was wondering..."

"Yeah?"

"Any chance a guy could bum a ride in one of those X-302's sometime? Cause, that would just be too cool, ya know? And Andrew would so totally be green with envy..."

Chapter the Eighth

Four days later, all the critical personnel at the SGC and the Coucil had been checked out, and testing was continuing on all that were left. So far, no za'tarcs had been discovered, but Jack refused to be too optimistic about that fact. He was too used to having the other shoe drop. Carter stayed at Cheyenne Mountain, helping her father with the testing, as well as helping the maintenance crew on the _Prometheus _in making sure it was ready for the impending battle. Jack had also remained at the SGC in order to catch up on his paperwork. He _hated _paperwork.

In Devon, planning continued for the strike against Cerephus. Buffy and Kaithlynn Lockley had gathered together everything they'd been able to discover about him and his compound, searching for a way past his protective wards. Willow had tried to astral project there to give the place a once-over, and had been painfully rebounded from the wards. ("Worst headache _ever_!")

The three Tok'ra were rapidly assimilating into the ranks, and had in fact become quite popular for the stories they had to offer of other worlds. The fact that they were stronger and faster than the rest of the Slayers made no difference, they were welcomed as sisters. Anise and Willow had already become fast friends, Willow finally having somebody on hand to get scientific with.

There was a meeting scheduled for that afternoon to discuss plans for the strike. The current plan still called for two teams; one under Buffy, one under Faith. Buffy's team consisted of Willow, Duncan, Angel, Kennedy, Daniel and Carter. Faith would be going in with Dawn, Cassie, Amanda, Spike, Teal'c, Bethany and Anise.

Amanda had volunteered to go in with Faith's team, partly to keep an eye on Dawn, but also because she had agreed with Duncan that their should be an Immortal with each team. The last few days had seen Dawn, Amanda and Spike grow thick as thieves. There had been a marked increase in practical jokes, and they chose to ignore all the suspicious looks they were receiving.

Teal'c had asked that he be assigned to whichever team Cassie was on. He had no doubt about her abilities, but he found he had the same protective streak towards her that the rest of SG-1 had, and felt that this mission was too risky for him not to be where he could keep an eye on her. Cassie protested at length, saying that she was a big girl now, not to mention 'hey, _Slayer _here!', but inside she was thrilled he'd be alongside her.

Anise had quickly proven herself a more than capable warrior, and had been included primarily in the hopes that with her more extensive knowledge of the Goa'uld, she would be able to spot any nasty tricks that Cerephus had planted along those lines.

The two groups, plus Giles, Xander, Kate, Kaithlynn, Vi, Robin, Andrew, Gunn, Connor and Illyria were gathered in the largest conference room, waiting for Jack, Jacob and Carter to arrive. Nina was also there, sitting next to Angel. She had told him she'd like to know what was going on, maybe even help out if she could. He was glad to have her there, although he was worried about her getting too involved in this part of his life. Werewolf or not, she didn't have any experience fighting, and the thought of her getting hurt scared him more than he cared to admit. Nina and Faith were looking through various catalogues at bridesmaids dresses, while the bridesmaids themselves, Buffy, Willow and Dawn, put in their two cents whenever they could. Faith had quickly adopted Nina as her bridal consultant.

With the customary flash of white light of an Asgard transporter beam, Jack O'Neill appeared in the room with four others, as well as two large crates. "Good morning campers. We come bearing gifts!" The teenager standing next to him rolled his eyes.

Giles walked over and shook his hand. "Hello, general. It's afternoon here, by the way. Who have you brought with you?"

Jack turned to the man standing next to him. "Rupert Giles, General George Hammond, my immediate superior and the man in charge of the _Prometheus_. We figured he should be in on the planning since it seems the _Prometheus _plays a big part in what's coming." Giles and Hammond shook hands, making polite small talk.

"You know Col. Carter here, of course. This is her father Jacob Carter, formerly a general in the U.S. Air Force, currently host to Selmak of the Tok'ra." Jacob bowed his head in greeting to the assembly.

"And last, but never least, me." He grinned at the blank looks he recieved as the teenager rolled his eyes again.

"Sorry. This is Jon O'Neill. My mini-me clone. He'd like to help you folks out. Giles, Buffy, we'd like to talk with you kids after the meeting's over with, okay?"

"Sure, Jack," Buffy said. She was looking closely at Jon. _Yup, definitely a resemblance there_. Jon looked to be around seventeen, maybe eighteen, and obviously worked out a lot. _'Course, with all that black-ops training, he'd probably want to stay in shape._

Jon returned Buffy's gaze. Leaning in close to Jack he whispered, "That Buffy?" Jack nodded, wearing a smug grin. Jon scowled. "I swear to God, the next time I lay eyes on Loki, I am _so _gonna kick his little gray ass."

Jack looked around the table. "Where's Riley and Sam?"

Buffy waved a hand. "They got a call about a demon infestation in Tasmania. Something about Tasmanian Devils being possessed or somesuch. They took a dozen Slayers with them and went to check it out."

"Oh. Okay. They take Bugs Bunny with 'em?"

"Nope. Riley didn't think it was all that funny when I suggested it to him, either."

"Boy's got no sense of humor. Bet Sam laughed, though."

"Yup. Mostly at Riley," Buffy grinned. "You said something about gifts? What'd ya bring me? Always love the prezzies."

"Carter, you mind?" He gestured at the two crates. She opened up one of the crates and held up one of the items it held.

"These are zat'nikatel weapons. We just call them zats." She tossed one to Buffy. "They're sort of like high powered tasers. One shot will incapacitate, the second kills, and the third disintegrates the target. They're effective against vampires, we checked them out while patrolling with Cassie."

Buffy turned the zat over in her hands, then hit the button to open it up. "The first shot just knocks 'em out?"

"Usually. It depends on the person. It doesn't always render the recipient unconscious, but it will knock them down for a while at the very least."

"Nice. Coulda used one of these about a zillion times." She triggered a burst at the corner of the room, making everybody jump. "Sorry..." She handed the zat over to Willow. Willow had a 'just got a new puppy' look. She couldn't wait to take one of these apart.

Buffy turned back to Jack. "Thanks, Jack. These'll come in handy."

"Thank Jacob. They're a gift from the Tok'ra. Just remember, those things are alien technology. Which means 'classified'. Therefore not to be left laying around willy-nilly. Okay?" He said the last with a raised brow, taking in the group as a whole. He nodded at the various words of agreement. "Okay. So, what's up in the world of Snakehead the Immortal?"

Giles cleared his throat. "Well, we have decided on the teams, which I believe you were sent a memo about?" Jack nodded. "Good. Buffy and Miss Lockley have given us as much of the layout of Cerephus' compound as they could come up with. He apparently has some very potent wards protecting the place"

General Hammond raised a hand. "Pardon me. Did you say 'wards'?"

"Err, yes. A ward is a protective spell. The spell can be refined to repell magycks, energy, sound or solid bodies. He at the very least has warded off magic. We're not sure what other types of warding spells he may have in effect, therefore we've put a witch with each team. Willow with Buffy, and Bethany with Faith." Bethany gave a small wave.

Jack hadn't met her before. _Hafta thank her for coming up with that hangover cure when I get a chance_, thought Jack.

"Anyway, we were hoping to utilise your transporters to beam into the compound. Willow thinks she can work with the technology to make sure the wards can't stop you. And if not, we're reasonably sure your technology won't set off any mystical alarms."

Hammond nodded. "No problem. Just let us know the timing."

"We were hoping to go in two days time. Now, as Cerephus has taken an Immortal for a host, the only way to kill him is to take off his head, although we believe disintegration would work just as well. These, err, zats might do the trick nicely, in fact. Have you all read the files we provided concerning Immortals? Good. One of our concerns is what will happen when his Quickening is released. The host is at least 10,000 years old, so it is quite likely that it will be incredibly powerful. Both Duncan and Amanda are going to endeavour to be as close as possible if that happens, in order to take it upon themselves."

He sighed and started cleaning his glasses. "If possible, we'd like to capture him alive. At the very least, it would afford us the opportunity to interrogate him, hopefully to discover what plans he has set in motion. And, if I have understood General O'Neill correctly, the Tok'ra may be able to remove the symbiote, freeing the host. I would very much like to try to save him, if we can. The priority, however, is to _stop _him. By whatever means necessary. Understood?"

There was a general assent from the group. "Good. Now, Angel, I believe you had something you wished to discuss?"

"Yeah. Actually, it's Connor and Illyria that had something to ask." Angel nudged his son.

"Um, well, you see... Illyria 'n me, we were hoping"

Illyria spoke up. "We wish to join in your strike. We feel that our presence would be beneficial to the overall effort, and the half-breed Angel agrees with us."

Connor shrugged. "Yeah, what she said."

Buffy turned to Angel. "You think it'll help?"

Angel nodded. "Connor 'n me are pretty evenly matched. He's probably a better tracker than I am. And Illyria over there has whupped all of us at one point or another. That jerk Hamilton was the only one I've ever seen that could actually take her down, and that was just because he had all that extra mojo from the Senior Partners."

Illyria stood up and started pacing. She wasn't much good at sitting still for long. "This battle is something that Wesley would have thought important. I shall therefore go in his stead, and do battle in his memory."

Buffy glanced at Giles, who nodded. "Okay, you're both in. Connor, you're with my group. Illyria, why don't you go with Faith's crew."

Illyria cocked her head. "That is the group Spike is with, is it not?" Buffy nodded. "That is acceptable to me. Waging battle alongside him is agreeable."

"Glad t' have ya, Blue," Spike said.

Faith looked Illyria in the eye. "Just remember; God-King or not, _I'm _the one in charge. You do what I say, when I say it. Keep that in mind, we'll get along just fine."

Illyria stared at Faith for a long minute, then nodded. "Agreed. You are a worthy warrior, fit to lead an army. I will try not to let your impertinence offend me overly much."

Faith took it in bemusedly. "Riiiigghhhht."

Giles stood. "Well, now that's settled, Faith why don't you take everyone down to the training room and have Col. Carter help you to familiarise

both groups with these new weapons. General O'Neill, I believe you had something you wished to discuss with Buffy and I?"

Faith paused next to Buffy, waiting for the rest of the group to file out. She leaned down close to Buffy. "Yo, B, two Jack's huh? That could be all kinds of interestin'." She ducked and ran out the door just as Buffy took a pot shot at her with the zat she had held on to. She peeked back around the doorframe. "Temper, temper..." She ran after the rest, laughing.

Giles was staring at Buffy, eyebrow quirked. She ignored him. "Sooo, Jack. What's the what?"

"Well, I'm sure you haven't forgotten what Willow showed us from Cassies dream, right?"

"Not likely to forget it any time soon, no."

"Well, when she showed it to us the other day, I saw Jon here in it. He was one of the people lying dead at the end of it." Jon shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

"Oh." Buffy closed her eyes, remembering the dream. _Yeah, that is him. Eww, now _that_ looks unpleasant._

"Anyway, the more I thought about it, the more I figured he'd wanna know about it. I know _I _would, and since he's me..." Jack shrugged. "I met with him and explained the situation, told him about you kids and what was going on."

Jon spoke up. "I want to help. Maybe train to be a Watcher. I can certainly help train your girls. With all the black-ops training, not to mention six years worth of offworld experience, I think I could make a difference here. Certainly a lot more difference than I am at that damn high school. And I know me. If it weren't for what's going on out there," he crooked a thumb skyward, "I know Jack the Elder over there would be right here. No way I can turn my back on this, now that I know about it. You kids need all the help you can get."

Buffy studied them both. "You both sure about this?"

They both answered as one. "Yeahsureyoubetcha."

Buffy looked at Giles, who nodded. "Okay Jon, you're in. In fact, I'd like you on my team for this strike, if you feel up to it. I figure you'll fit right in with SG-1 again. Okay?"

Jon gave her a huge grin. "Abso-fraggin'-lutely." He stood up and headed after Faith, but stopped at the door. "Umm, somebody wanna tell me how to get whereever it is they all went?"

Chapter the Ninth

Later in the day, most of the group was still in the training room. Jon and Carter were working with several Slayers who were practicing with the zats. Buffy, Giles, Xander, Kaithlynn and Jack were off to one side going over details while keeping an eye on the rambunctious group.

Angel was teaching rudimentary swordfighting techniques to Nina. Amanda and Dawn were sparring full tilt, as they always did. Dawn had become quite adept over the last few months, and Amanda was finding herself hard pressed to stay ahead of her.

Spike, Kennedy, Duncan and Teal'c were standing between the two fencing areas, trying to watch two battles at once. Kate and Willow occupied the second arena, dueling almost as fiercely as Amanda and Dawn. Spike nudged Kennedy and spoke quietly, not wanting to break any of the fighters concentration. "Oi, when did Red get all swordmaster-y? Thought she was all about the magyck."

Kennedy shrugged. "She used to be. Still is, really. But you know what happens if she lets the magyck take over. I don't think that's as big a problem since she went all Goddess-y last year, but she won't let herself forget about it either. She and Dawn both train for the same reasons, they don't want to become too dependent on their powers. This gives them more skills to use in a fight, keeps them both in shape, and gives them both focus. And Dawn just plain thinks it's fun."

"Yeah, kinda shows," Spike said.

Teal'c nodded. "Indeed. She does appear to find great enjoyment in the challenge of the duel. And she does seem to be most proficient, as does WillowRosenberg."

Duncan chuckled. "They've both come a long way in the last few months. Especially Willow. Kate was pretty shocked when Willow came to her and asked her if she'd be willing to train her. Dawn had just asked the same of Amanda. That's when I decided to commission the blades for them all. It's been interesting watching their progress."

Kennedy laughed. "Boy, ain't _that _the truth. A few weeks ago, a bunch of us got together and watched _Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. _They both got to giggling and took off down here. Some of us followed them, found them flying around the room like the people in the movie. They were laughing so hard that there wasn't much actual sword play going on, but it was wicked cool to watch."

Duncan gave Kennedy a bemused look. "Guess I missed out on that."

"No problem, Mac. I'll loan you the video. Andrew and Xander set it to music from _The Matrix_." Duncan turned back to watch the fights, smiling. His life certainly had gotten more interesting since meeting up with this group.

Buffy had been watching the duels closely. She was incredibly proud of her sister. Didn't mean she couldn't have a little fun now and then, though. While Dawn's back was to her, she picked up a basketball and threw it as hard as she could straight at her sister's head. Dawn, in mid-swing, simply carried it a little further and skewered the ball on her blade, deftly turning the swing into a spin and sending the remains of the ball back at Buffy while still blocking Amanda's next stroke. Giles looked at the shredded basketball Buffy was holding and shook his head. "Would you like me to take that out of your salary, then?"

Buffy shot him a dirty look as Jack and Kaithlynn laughed. "Just write it off as a training expense. Smart-aleck Watchers, anyway."

Jack dug a few more items out of one of the crates. "Anyhoo, I know you kids have your own mojo going on, but I'd appreciate it if you'd have everybody on the strike force carry one of these. They're Asgard homing beacons, they'll let us keep a lock on you guys in case you need an emergency beam out. They also work as communicators. Might be handy if that... what'd you call it?"

"The Wiccan-Mind-Meld," Giles said, managing not to roll his eyes.

"Yeah, that. In case that would fritz out on you. Little back up never hurts, right?"

Xander nodded. "Yup. Definitely. And speaking of back up, when do I need to have the second string gathered up and ready to go?" It had been decided that Xander would head up a third group, to be held in reserve aboard ship in case the first two teams got in over their heads. He and Vi had put together twenty one of their best, including Kate, Robin Wood, and the Finn's, provided they got back from Tasmania in time.

"We'll beam your crew up the the _Prometheus _same time as Buffy and Faith's groups. Jacob, Aht'ell and Na'reen have asked to join up with you too, if that's okay."

"Definitely. The extra muscle is much appreciated." Xander was more than happy to have them along, having seen what the three Tok'ra Slayers were capable of.

Jack was flipping through his notes. "Eeexxxcellent. I'll get back with you all tomorrow with the final scheduling details. Anything else?"

Buffy had been watching Jon as he interacted easily with the younger Slayers. She tilted her head towards the younger O'Neill. "You sure about this, Jack? I mean, don't get me wrong, we're glad to have him, but I thought you were worried about having the wrong people find out about him."

Jack shrugged. "He can take care of himself. He was going nuts in that high school, Buffy. He went from saving the planet on a regular basis to trying to pass his English exams. He can make a difference here." He looked at the younger version of himself wistfully. "And he's right. If it wasn't for the SGC, I'd be here right beside you kids. This way, I kinda am. Know what I mean?"

"Yeah. I do. We'll take good care of him Jack."

"I know you will." Jack grinned smugly. "And for the record, he is _insanely _jealous of me right now, especially now that he's met you."

Buffy snorted. "Men. Always hafta brag to each other. I'm gonna go see if Duncan wants to spar." She flounced off toward Duncan, but flashed him a smile over her shoulder as she went. For once, the weight of the world wasn't weighing quite so heavily on her shoulders. It was nice.

Chapter the Tenth

_Two nights later, on board the Prometheus in high geosynchronous orbit directly above Rome..._

Both strike teams, as well as Xander's back up team, were assembled in the cargo bay. Giles and Jack were going over last minute details while team members checked each other out, making sure that all their equipment was secured, weapons loaded, sharpened, or charged. Most of them were dressed in military black and gray BDU's, much of which had been temporarily 'borrowed' from the SGC. Even Spike was decked out in military garb, foregoing his everpresent leather duster.

Spike was currently eyeing Illyria. "Look, Blue, not that I don't love the whole blue 'n red dominatrix thing you've got goin' there, but this is supposed to be a covert operation, ya know? Might want to rethink the color scheme, luv."

Illyria stared at Spike for a minute, as if she were deciding whether or not to smash in his skull or not, then nodded. "Very well, half-breed. Is this more acceptable to you?" She shifted her appearance, her leather outfit fading to a dull black while her hair and skin shifted back to something far more familiar to Angel and Spike. It took Spike a moment to find his voice. It still hurt, seeing Illyria wear Fred's sweet face.

"Err, yeah luv, that'll do better. Might want to slather on a bit o' this, though." He handed her a tube of black face paint. She just gave him one of those Illyria Looks, and shifted her appearance again, darkening her skin. "Right. There ya go, then."

He walked over and stood next to Angel, who was rubbing the bridge of his nose tiredly. "Never will get used to that. You feelin' alright there Peaches?"

"Yeah. Just have a bit of a headache. Had it for a day or so, now. No big deal." He didn't tell Spike that it had steadily been getting worse. It was starting to feel like a dagger digging into his skull, right between the eyes. _I can deal with it, it's just a headache..._

Buffy walked over and stood next to Jack. Buffy hollered for quiet. "Some of you are probably worried that I'm gonna go all power speech-y like I did back in the Dale. Maybe some other time. For now, let's keep this simple. Down there," she pointed down at the floor, towards Earth, "There is a very bad man. He's got it in his beady little brain that he's going to bring about yet another apocalypse. We," she gestured around the cargo bay, taking them all in, "are going to go down there and kick his snake infested ass. And we are _all _coming back. Right?"

There was an enthusiastic cheer. "Right. You all know what you're supposed to do, so let's go do it." She turned to Jack as the group started splitting into teams, preparing to transport down. She looked up at Jack and gave him a small grin. "Kiss for luck?"

"Oh, okay." He leaned down and gave her what would have been a toe-curling kiss, if not for the hoots, wolf-whistles and cat-calls that started in the second they started kissing. Buffy just flipped the bird to the group in general. He broke the kiss and drew her into a quick, fierce hug. "You be careful, Squirt."

Buffy grinned crookedly and snapped off a jaunty salute. "Yessir, general sir!" She ambled over to her group.

Daniel walked over to Jack and pursed his lips. "Kiss for luck?"

Jack smacked him upside the head. "Get outa here, Space Monkey." Daniel jogged over to his group, chuckling.

Jack watched morosely as the two strike teams beamed out. He really wanted to be down there with them.

Sometimes this whole general gig really sucked.

Chapter the Eleventh

The two teams beamed in on separate sides of Cerephus' compound and started making their stealthy way toward the walls surrounding the villa. Buffy and Faith took the lead, with Willow and Bethany beside them, using magyck enhanced senses to look for booby traps.

Angel's headache had gone from bad to worse as soon as they materialised. It was starting to worry him, but he kept it to himself.

Willow opened up the Wiccan Mind-Meld to both groups, as well as those back on the ship.

Willow: _Okay, I'm sensing the barrier right in front of me. Bethany, you find it over on your side?_

Bethany: _Yeah. Powerful. The Haahkga'hiatssuu spell?_

Willow: _Yeah, I think that'll work without setting off whatever mystical alarms he has attached to these wards. Everybody chill for a minute while we do the spell, okay?_

Both teams waited, tense with apprehension as the two young wicca did the spell that would hopefully allow them access to Cerephus' compound. A few minutes later a gap in the barrier could be seen forming in front of both Willow and Bethany.

Willow: _Yay us! Okay guys, go before it collapses!_

Willow and Bethany were the last through the portal, slowly closing it so as to not set off any alarms.

Buffy: _Okay, we're in. Faith, you know where you need to go?_

Faith: _Five-by-five, B. Team Velma is on the move._

Faith's team had taken the name Team Velma, while Buffy's was Team Daphne. Xander's back up unit was Team Shaggy. Jack had flatly refused to be called Freddie, so the _Prometheus _was temporarily Scooby Command.

Buffy: _Jack, you guys still able to track us with those Right-Guard thingies?_

Jack: _If you mean the Asgard beacons, then yes, they're coming in loud and clear. So we should be able to beam you out._

Daniel: _Should? Why do I not like the sound of 'should'?_

Jack: _Well, I could try to beam you out right now, Daniel, but I kinda think the big bright flash o' light might be just a teensie bit of a giveaway, don't you?_

Daniel: _Smart ass._

Hammond: _Don't I know it..._

Jack: (indignantly) _Sir!_

Connor: _Everybody freeze. There're at least two guards over here, maybe more. Dad, come over here._

Faith: _We're clear all the way inside, B. You want we should wait up for you kiddies or head inside?_

Buffy: _No, go ahead. We'll take care of these guards and catch up._

Faith: _Gotcha. Let's go, Velmsters._

Spike: _I can't believe we're bloody well calling ourselves Velma..._

Dawn: _Aww, is the Big Bad Vampire afraid his rep is gonna be ruined?_

Spike: _Next time, _I _get to pick the bloody name Nibblet._

Dawn: _Oh, gee, let me guess. Team Ramones? Team Sex Pistols?_

Angel: _Team Peroxide Wonder?_

A mental chuckle went through the meld. Spike went on at some length about Angel's questionable parentage.

Faith: _Chill. Door's locked. Anybody here know how to pick a lock?_

Cassie: _Whole group of super powered people here, Faith. We could, like, break it down..._

Faith: _Tryin' for quiet here, lil' ET._

Illyria: _Step aside. The shell has memories that may be helpful here. I need a thin bladed knife and two small pieces of wire. Or a credit card._

Thirty seconds later, Illyria had the door open and team Velma quietly entered the villa. Meanwhile, Connor and Angel had silently taken out the guards that were blocking Team Daphne's path.

Buffy: _Good work you two. Let's go, Faith's already inside. Angel, you all right?_

Angel: _Yeah, I'll be fine. Just a headache is all._

Connor: _You don't look fine dad. _

Angel: _Okay, so it's a bad headache. Come on, bad guys to kill._

Willow looked at Angel carefully, her eyes still enhanced by the detection spell.

Willow: _Wait a second, guys. Angel, is the pain in your eyes?_

Angel: _Yeah, sorta behind my eyes, like knives digging in. Why?_

Willow: _Because I can see it. Not the pain, sorry, but what's causing the pain. _Willow passed her hand in front of Angel's eyes concentrating. _It's a binding spell. Someone has done a binding spell on your eyes! Wait, that doesn't make any sense..._

It hit Angel like a ton of bricks as, suddenly, he _knew. Cordy, it wasn't just the one, was it?_

Angel: _Willow, can you undo the binding spell?_

Willow: _Sure. Gimme a second. _She waved her hand in front of his eyes again, muttering a phrase in latin.

The binding spell was broken.

Angel collapsed to the ground, choking back an anguished scream as the vision struck him full force.

_bursts of staff and zat fire flared brilliantly-_

_-bodies fell, death all around-_

_-Faith, a blank look on her face as she slid lifelessly down the wall-_

_-Cerephus, eyes glowing, smiling smugly as he looked out over a sea of dead bodies-_

Angel slowly realised that he was the center of attention of a very worried group. _Good God, how did Cordy ever put up with these damn things? _He grabbed Buffy by the arm. "We've got to get in there and help them!" He clambered to his feet.

"It's a setup. We're all walking into a trap!"

Chapter the Twelfth

Willow spun around and faced the villa. _FAITH! IT'S A TRAP! FAITH! BETHANY! CAN ANY OF YOU HEAR ME? _

The rest of Team Daphne was screaming into the meld, trying to warn Team Velma of the trap, but to no avail. "Aww, crap!" Buffy took off full speed for the house, the rest of her team on her heels.

Buffy: _Jack, we're cut off from the other team! It's a trap, and they're already inside. Can you still beam them out?_

Jack: _Sorry, kiddo. We still have them on our sensors, but the transporter can't get a lock. Something's jamming it._

Buffy: _Guess we do this the hard way. Willow, can you lead us to them?_

Willow: _I think so. I can still sense them, but it's all fuzzy. There's some kind of general dampening spell over the whole house. I may have trouble working the magycks once we're inside._

Buffy: _Swell. Okay, here we go... _

Buffy kicked in the front door, then ducked back out of sight as a wave of crossbow bolts and staff weapon fire burst through the door. Carter, Daniel and Jon opened up with their own zats as Kennedy let loose with the bow she was carrying. Willow brought the fight to a quick end when she threw a ball of blue fire into the room, incinerating the demons inside.

Jon cast Willow an appraising glance. "Handy, that."

Willow grinned lopsidedly. "You should see me startin' up the charcoal for a barbeque."

Connor and Duncan flitted through the door. "All clear, come on in," Connor called over his shoulder.

Team Daphne filed into the entryway. "Where now, Will?" Buffy asked as she turned a slow circle, watching for any hidden enemies.

Willow closed her eyes, concentrating. Finally she pointed up the stairs. "Thataway. I can feel Dawn powering up up there." Buffy was halfway up the stairs before she finished her statement, the rest of the group a second behind. As they reached the top of the stairs, they could hear the sounds of battle off to their left.

They could also see several dozen vampires and assorted other demons waiting for them. Buffy never slowed her pace, wading into the wall of demons, zat in her left hand firing continuously, katana in her right, moving, cutting, slicing like a thing possessed. Kennedy soon ran out of arrows, and casting the bow aside went to work with the battle axe she had carried slung across her back. Angel, Connor, Willow and Duncan cut a swath of death with their swords while Carter, Jon and Daniel fired unerringly with their zats, going hand to hand when they had to. Jon even produced a machete from under his backpack, beheading several vampires.

Willow could think of several ways to take out every demon in the hallway, but not without injuring her comrades. _Glad I spent all that time training with Kate! Oooo, fireball! _She took out a group of vamps that was trying to sneak up behind them. "They're trying to box us in, Buffy! Coming up behind us!"

Jon took a quick look behind him. "Ahhh, crap. Carter, help Willow cover our six. Buffy, we need to get out of this hall, now!"

"You see me arguing? Show me the door, we'll beat feet!" She was trading blows with an Mmm'Fashnik demon, her katana a blur.

Jon looked around helplessly, then a thought occurred to him. He turned his zat on the wall, firing four quick triple bursts at it, opening a sizable hole. "There's your door. Let's go, people!"

One by one, Team Daphne made a fighting retreat through the hole in the wall. It lead them into what appeared to be a gigantic ballroom.

It was also where Team Velma was fighting an even larger contingent of demons.

Led by Cerephus himself.

They walked in just in time to see Faith flying through the air, propelled by the force of Cerephus' ribbon device. She hit the far wall with a resounding thud and bounced off, only to land square in the middle of a dozen vampires. She stood up, dazed, and sneered. "Howdy boys. Name's Faith. You all might wanna start shitting yourselves right about now." She disappeared quickly under the mass of swinging vamps.

Illyria was slugging it out with two huge demons, the likes of which Buffy had never seen before. Didn't seem to be faring too well, either. Bethany was out cold, Dawn standing over her, blasting demons as fast as she could, but they just kept coming. Amanda and Anise had both taken hits from staff weapons, and were down as well.

Teal'c, Spike and Cassie were trying to fight their way to Cerephus, who was standing on the raised stage at the far end of the room. They weren't making much progress, though.

Buffy took all this in in the blink of an eye. "Angel, Connor, you go help Faith. SG-1, you go help Dawn. Willow, try to clear 'em a path, see if you can do anything for Illyria over there. Kennedy, you watch Willow's back. Duncan, you 'n me are going after Cerephus. Got it? Good. Now go!"

She and Duncan started for the smug Immortal Goa'uld. Buffy tapped the Asgard communicator as she went. "Jack? Hellooo Jack? If you can hear me at all, we need backup! Like, yesterday! Jack? Anybody? Crap." She loosed several shots at Cerephus with her zat, but they were deflected harmlesly from his shield. "Double crap." She pushed the zat into a pocket and drew out a throwing knife. Jack had told her that he had been able to throw a knife through a shield once, and that slower moving projectiles such as tranq darts had been known to penetrate as well.

She found an opening and threw, the knife flying straight and true right for Cerephus' head.

And bounced off his magyckly enhanced shield.

He cast his gaze about, looking for the being that had had the impudence to throw a knife at him, finally spotting Buffy as she and Duncan fought their way towards him. He smiled, smugly, pleased that his Slayer was doing exactly as he'd known she would, fitting into his plan just as he'd hoped.

Spread out before him was pure bedlam, war at its worst, the Champions of the Light battling the Forces of the Darkness. Oh yes, the Champions were a powerful lot, to be sure, most especially Willow and Dawn, who had become Powers unto themselves. But even Champions such as these could be defeated. And he, Cerephus of the Goa'uld, he was going to be the one to do it.

Angel and Connor had reached the now unconscious Faith, and were now trying to get her clear, fighting a running battle the whole time. Carter, Jon and Daniel were now standing guard over Bethany, Anise and Amanda, freeing Dawn to take the fight to the enemy. She was now blazing a trail though the horde, Spike, Teal'c and Cassie in her wake.

Cerephus felt the first twinge of fear since the battle had begun. He had thought his wards would keep Dawn and Willow from accessing their powers while inside the barriers, but it was obvious to him at this point that he'd sadly underestimated their strength. As dangerous as Buffy and the rest of them were, the Witch and the Key were by far the greatest dangers he faced here. He watched the redheaded wicca float up for a clear shot at the demons that had managed to fight Illyria to a standstill, and saw an opportunity.

He summoned a staff weapon to him, taking aim at Willow. _Such an easy target. And her death will most certainly be a most severe blow to the Slayer._

Buffy and Duncan had finally fought their way to the edge of the stage. Buffy jumped up onto the stage, about fifteen feet away from Cerephus. She saw him holding the staff weapon and tracked his line of sight to see who he was aiming at. "Willow!"

She threw her sword at him, trying to distract him. It bounced off the shield just like everything else she'd thrown at him. He turned his head slightly, throwing her another smug grin, then sighted back down the staff again.

Buffy didn't think about it, didn't have _time _to think about it.

She could see Cerephus' finger tightening on the trigger, Willow dead in his sights.

She leaped.

Directly into the line of fire.

Took the full burst from the staff weapon in the chest.

Landed in a heap at the edge of the stage, looking down at her charred flesh in shock.

She looked up at Duncan, her eyes pleading, unbelieving. "Ow..." She slowly tumbled off the stage to land on the floor, face up, eyes staring dully up at the ceiling.

Dead.

_To be continued_...

Mwahahaha... Yes. I killed Buffy. Deal with it. Or let me deal with it in part six... It may be a while before I get part six up, I've been procrastinating on too many projects around here. Life, who knew? Please to make with the feedback, I'd love to know what you think of this story as it progresses. All Hail the Goddess Willow! later ;)

_'To thee no star be dark'_


	6. Part VI

Summary: The pre-emptive strike against The Immortal, Cerephus, has failed, and Buffy has been killed. Where do we go from here?

Crossover: Highlander, Stargate SG-1

Notes: Okay, having watched the season finale of Stargate SG-1, I have become painfully aware of just how badly I've screwed up the Stargate timeline. So, I'm just gonna pretend this story is an AU and stick with the timeline I've established so far. Because going back and making changes is a ginormous pain in the tuckus...

Disclaimer: This is the part where I make some general comment about how I own none of this, I'm not making any money off of this, it all belongs to somebody else, etc., etc. Cryin' shame, that...

DID SOMEBODY SAY SOMETHING ABOUT NOT FADING AWAY? PART VI

By: screaminheathen69

* * *

..._Previously, on Buffy the Vampire Slayer..._

...Cerephus summoned a staff weapon to him, taking aim at Willow. _Such an easy target. And her death will most certainly be a most severe blow to the Slayer._

Buffy and Duncan had finally fought their way to the edge of the stage. Buffy jumped up onto the stage, about fifteen feet away from Cerephus. She saw him holding the staff weapon and tracked his line of sight to see who he was aiming at. "Willow!"

She threw her sword at him, trying to distract him. It bounced off the shield just like everything else she'd thrown at him. He turned his head slightly, throwing her another smug grin, then sighted back down the staff again.

Buffy didn't think about it, didn't have _time _to think about it.

She could see Cerephus' finger tightening on the trigger, Willow dead in his sights.

She leaped.

Directly into the line of fire.

Took the full burst from the staff weapon directly in the chest.

Landed in a heap at the edge of the stage, looking down at her charred flesh in shock.

She looked up at Duncan, her eyes pleading, unbelieving. "Ow..." She slowly tumbled off the stage to land on the floor, face up, eyes staring dully at the ceiling.

Dead.

_...And now..._

Chapter the First

Cerephus stood there, shocked. Then a smile slowly started to spread across his face. This was better than he'd hoped. He had killed the Slayer. Not just one of the many, but _the _Slayer.

Buffy Summers was dead. The love of Angelus' life. By his hand. He threw his head back and laughed.

Across the room, Willow felt somebody die. And at the sound of Dawn's anguished cry, she suddenly had the feeling she knew who. She finished blasting the demons off of Illyria, then spun around to face the stage. To the sight of the Immortal, laughing maniacally as Duncan jumped down from the stage to kneel beside Buffy's too still form.

Dawn screamed. An utterly incoherent, pain filled scream that seemed to come from the bottom of her soul. She had just watched her sister die. Again. Trembling, her rage taking her, she reached deep down inside and cut loose with the same power she'd used that first time at the Bronze, one that she had only used in a lesser way since then as it tended to leave her exhausted. Somehow managing to protect Illyria, Spike and Angel, she vaporised every demon in the villa.

Cerephus' laughter stopped abruptly as he took in the now demon free room. He took an involuntary step back when Dawn _shifted _herself, appearing right in front of him. The pain and rage on her face was enough to make even him flinch in fear. A brilliant green aura surrounded Dawn, flickering angrily like a thing alive. And when she spoke, it was as though Rage itself spoke through her.

"You. Killed. _My. **SISTER**_!" Dawn threw everything she had at him, point blank. The concussion from the blast knocked all those still standing to the floor, while the blast threw Cerephus through the wall. And through the two rooms beyond.

Dawn was there the instant he came to rest. His shield had held, although weakened. Dawn started pounding on it, channeling her Power into every blow, trying to get through to the man she wanted to throttle with her bare hands. Willow appeared next to her, hair gone white, glowing, and added her own power, trying to get past the magyckally enhanced shield.

Cerephus, who had been stunned when he was thrown through the wall, shook his head to clear out the cobwebs. He realised that his shield was steadily weakening before the onslaught of the two Powers he now faced. He thrust his hand out, uttering an ancient spell. Willow and Dawn were thrown back, stunned.

The Immortal Goa'uld slowly regained his feet. He'd lost this battle, but the war was far from over. The losses here this day were but a drop in the ocean. He still had tremendous resources as yet untapped. He gazed at Willow and Dawn with utter contempt. "We shall face each other again, and soon. And on that day, you will _all_ die."

Dawn, enraged, fired a massive energy ball at him just as he shimmered away. "You son of a bitch! Come back here and finish this!"

The green glow faded away as she started shaking and sobbing uncontrollably. Willow, still glowing white, took her in her arms and held her, tears flowing. Willow was hanging on to the Earth energy, the essence of White Magyck, fighting to keep the Dark in check.

The Darkness that was screaming for vengeance. _Oh, dear Goddess, help me! Help us all!_

She guided the inconsolable Dawn back into the ballroom, where what had happened was only just beginning to seep in. Duncan was kneeling over Buffy's prone body, Kate standing beside him with her hand on his shoulder. Xander was kneeling on the other side of Buffy, sobbing. Angel was standing behind him, seemingly frozen, the shock written plainly on his face.

Spike was leaning against the wall, wracked with sobs. The rest of the strike force stood gathered around, stunned.

Buffy Summers was dead.

Dawn knelt down beside her sister, taking Buffy's hand in her own. "Oh, God, Buffy. I'm so sorry. I should've done something. Anything. I can't loose you again..."

Duncan drew a deep, shuddering breath. "She did it to save Willow. Cerephus was about to shoot her. She jumped into his line of fire to block his shot." He looked up at Willow, who was staring back at him, eyes huge. "She saved you, Willow."

"Oh, Goddess..." Willow broke down completely, only staying on her feet thanks to Kennedy's support.

For one long minute, nobody spoke, letting their grief wash over them. Buffy was dead, and there would be no bringing her back this time. Some pains are simply too grievous for the soul to bear.

Illyria, standing a bit away from the group, cocked her head and stared intently at Buffy. "Wait. Something is..."

Buffy drew in a ragged breath.

Dawn let out an 'Eep!' and dropped her hand, jerking away involunutarily and ending up on her butt.

Buffy groaned and sat up, rubbing her chest. "Oh, oww, that is _soooo_ gonna leave a mark." She slowly took in all the stunned looks.

"What?"

Chapter the Second

_...Later, in the infirmary at the SGC..._

"So, how come I'm not dead?" Buffy, in the midst of being poked and prodded by Dr. Brightman, asked in an entirely too chipper voice.

Giles stopped cleaning his glasses. "Umm... well, now, that's a very good question..." He went back to polishing, trying to come up with an answer that he didn't have. Yet.

"Yeah. Hence the asking." She couldn't help but grin as her Watcher shuffled his feet uncomfortably. She'd been dead. No two ways about it. Toast. Kicked the bucket. Bought the farm. Headed for the big dirt nap. And while she was exceedingly pleased that it hadn't been permanent, she was more than a little curious as to why _this_ particular death hadn't taken.

Illyria, who had been standing quietly in the shadows, stepped forward. "You are as he is." She pointed at Duncan. "I sensed it as your body returned to life. Your have the essence of an Immortal, but hidden beneath the essence of the Slayer. That is why I did not sense it before, and cannot sense it now." Illyria couldn't help but smile at the stunned looks she got after making that statement.

Willow spluttered. "Bu... but... she _died_! Twice! And, yeah, she came back, but not without help. I mean, the second time she died, she was gone for a hundred and forty seven days, 'til we pulled her out of heaven!" Willow paused in her babble, seeing the old pain flash in Buffy's eyes. "Sorry, Buffy. I just, it's... I just don't get it..."

Spike sighed. "I do. Makes sense, dunnit? The ritual was interrupted, right?" Willow nodded. "So, first you have an incomplete spell, second, you've got a nasty God like Osiris involved-"

Daniel spoke up. "Osiris was actually a Goa'uld. Dead Goa'uld, now, but-"

"May've been one of those snakes that took 'is name, Artefact-Boy, but the Osiris we're talkin' 'bout is the genuine article. Tends to get a bit testy when us lesser beings cut inta his territory." He glanced at Willow and Giles. "Not hard to picture him throwin' a wrench into th' works now, is it?"

Giles shook his head no, while Willow was on the verge of tears. Spike turned back to Buffy. "'Spect that explains why the chip didn't work on you after you came back. You didn't come back wrong, you came back Immortal. Chip new the difference somehow. I probably could've beat on an Immortal same as any demon."

Buffy took it all in, pouting. "Great. As if things weren't interesting enough already. Now I get to spend the rest of forever watching my neck. Literally." She heaved a great sigh, then shrugged theatrically. "Oh well, beats being dead. Are we done yet? Can I go now?" Dr. Brightman pushed her firmly back down on the bed.

"We're testing all of you, and no, we're not done yet. I need a blood sample..." Buffy groaned and cringed at the sight of the needle.

"All you doctors with your needles. Gives me the willies." She gave a shudder, eliciting several laughs, especially from Jack. Dr. Brightman just rolled her eyes and ignored her. She'd spent enough time around Daniel and Jack that the complaints just rolled off anymore.

Both strike teams, as well as the back up team plus Giles and Robin, had been transported to the SGC to be given a thorough going over. The infirmary was filled to overflowing, doctors and nurses darting in and out amongst the tables.

Buffy hopped off the table the instant Dr. Brightman finished. The doctor walked over to the MRI unit to check the progress of Faith's scan. Faith had remained unconscious for an inordinately long time, having taken a massive beating, and Giles had insisted that she be checked out thoroughly. The fact that Faith had spent the entire scan resting quietly was a pretty good indication that she wasn't feeling well.

Buffy was looking for her clothes. Samantha Carter handed her a set of blue fatigues. Buffy stared at the clothes with disdain. "Umm, thanks, Sam, but where's my stuff?"

Carter glanced at Jack, smiling. "Well, the General over there thought that you running around the base wearing a shirt with a great big hole burned in the front of it... well, conceivably, it could be, er, _distracting_ to some of the personnel..."

Jack smirked. "Military base. Free peep show. Generally un-mixy things. And speaking from experience, the sight would be _very_ distracting." He waggled his eyebrows.

Dawn pulled a face. "Eeeewwww!" Xander had obviously gotten lost in the visual in his head, and Kennedy smacked Willow in the arm as the wicca's eyes glazed over. Even Teal'c was staring vacantly off into space. Angel, Riley and Spike were nodding their agreement with Jack's assessment. Sam Finn took Kennedy's example and bopped Riley in the back of the head.

Faith's laughter could be heard from inside the MRI tube. "I think Big-O over there's sayin' ya got a nice rack, B."

Buffy shot Jack a glare, then smiled sweetly and leaned closer to Carter. "Sam, remind me to tell you something later."

Carter grinned. "Juicy?"

"Ooohh, yeah. You're gonna love it." Jack squirmed. Buffy giggled. _Gotcha. _She stepped behind a privacy screen to get dressed. "So doc, we about finished here?"

The good doctor nodded absently. "Soon as we finish Faith's scan and bloodwork." She was looking intently at the monitor. The nurse made a comment quietly to her and she nodded. "Yup. Okay Faith, the scan's done. And congratulations."

Faith sat up as the table slid out of the tube. "Thanks. For what?"

Dr. Brightman grinned and pointed at the image frozen on the monitor. "Twins. You're about six or seven weeks along. They appear to be in perfect health."

You could've heard a pin drop. Or maybe that noise was the sound of about twenty jaws hitting the floor. Faith's jaw being the first.

Buffy was the first to find her voice. "_Wicked_! Can I be Aunty Buffy?"

Chapter the Third

Three days later, Giles called for a meeting at the hotel in Devon. He looked out at the large group, which now included Methos and Joe Dawson, and sighed. "Thank you all for coming. I had hoped to have some good news for you, but unfortunately, that doesn't happen to be the case. We have had absolutely no luck in locating Cerephus. He seems to have gone to ground, and covered his tracks amazingly well. Even Willow and the coven have been unable to track him." Willow shrugged apologetically.

Giles shifted some papers around in front of him. "Err, it also seems that the Slayer vision Cassandra had was a fake." There were a few surprised gasps at this. "Yes. It appears that Cerephus found a way to send her the false vision, as well as somehow blocking Angel's visions. He also managed to keep the seers from seeing what was going on. Willow has worked out how to detect the magycks and stop them, so we believe that the seers should be able to see properly now, but only time will tell."

Riley raised his hand. "Umm, wait a sec. Angel has _visions _now?"

Angel shifted in his seat. "Yeah. Kinda surprised me, too. I thought it was a one time deal. Cordy somehow passed her visions on to me just before she died. We wouldn't have figured it out if it weren't for the headache I got the longer the mission went on. Guess the PTB's kept pushing harder and harder."

Jack leaned close to Dawn. "'PTB's'?"

"Powers that Be. Higher beings," Dawn whispered.

"Oh. They help out a lot, do they?"

"Yes. Well, no. Sorta." She made an indifferent motion with her hand. "Mostly they're just really vague and cryptic. Really good about getting their Champions killed."

"Oh. Nice."

Dawn nodded. "Yup."

Angel was still talking. "Anyway, they sent me another headache, I mean, vision, and confirmed it was all a ruse to draw us in. Seems the Immortal wanted us out of his way. Whatever it is he's planning, apparently he figures we could stop him."

Faith spoke up. "And he'd a had us, too. But he underestimated our Big Guns." She nodded her thanks to Willow and Dawn. "You two saved our bacon. Made 'im tuck tail and run."

Dawn stuck her bottom lip out. "Wasn't enough, though. He got away. And he killed Buffy." Buffy shrugged at the glances that came her way. She was still adjusting to the whole immortality thing herself.

Angel grinned briefly, his expression quickly sobering. "We're still alive, though. So we're still a threat."

"Which probably means he'll be coming after us again," Spike said, pulling a face. "As if the Senior Partner's assassins weren't enough..."

Giles picked up the thread. "Yes. We shall all have to be extra watchful. In the meantime, we're still trying to discover what Cerephus is really up to. Everything we had uncovered up to now seems to be purely fabricated. And, as much as he underestimated Willow and Dawn, we underestimated him far more. We knew he used magic to some extent, in spite of his reputation for not using it. He has somehow managed to mask his abilities for a very long time. Of course, he has had almost ten thousand years to perfect his abilities."

Willow rested her elbows on the table. "Time that we don't have. Dawn and I are working with the coven to figure a way past his shields. Anise, Jacob and Col. Carter are helping us with the Goa'uld technology. He was using a Goa'uld personal shield, but he beefed it up magyckally. It was starting to give under the pounding Dawn and I were giving it, but it took almost everything we had just to make a dent in it. We might wind up having to enjoin our powers again to take him down."

Xander grinned. "_That _wouldbe a sight to behold. The last time was, like, the coolest thing I've ever seen." All those who had been present at that final confrontation with Glory would never be able to forget what had happened there.

Giles nodded. "Indeed. Well, as I said, we will continue in our efforts to uncover Cerephus. Otherwise, I suppose it's business as usual. Rona called asking for some additional help in Cleveland. It seems the local demon population has recently grown, and she'd like a few more Slayers."

Faith _hummphed. _"Wondered when the Hellmouth'd get twitchy. Should Rob an' me head back?"

"No, I've already chosen six Slayers and a witch for the job. They'll be heading out later today. Besides, I was rather hoping that you'd leave the fighting to those that aren't, umm..."

"Preggers? Knocked up? With child? Two buns in the oven? Enjoying the wonderfulness that is the morning sickness that decided to kick in yesterday?"

"Err... yes. Someting like that."

"I'm pregnant, Geeves. Not dead. But yeah, I figured I'd back off the heavy stuff. Maybe help out with the training around here for a while. I don't know how we made it through that fight unharmed, but I'm not risking the rugrats anymore." She patted her stomach. "It just ain't worth the risk."

Giles smiled. "I wholeheartedly agree. I'm quite sure we can keep both you and Robin busy around here."

Jack raised a hand. "Um, I do need SG-1 back for a few days. We've already postponed the mission to P4C-646 twice, and SG-8 is only available for the next few days. Daniel has to go look at some more rocks." Daniel rolled his eyes as a few chuckles could be heard.

Faith stood up. "You think you guys will be back by next Friday?"

Jack looked at Carter, who nodded. "Should be, unless we run into trouble. Which happens entirely too often. Why?"

Faith glanced at Robin, who gave her a smile and nodded. "Well, in light of recent events," she patted her belly again, "Rob and I have decided to change the plans a bit. Anyway, we're gonna have the rehearsal next Friday, with a big dinner and night out after, with the wedding and reception on Saturday like we were figuring. We'd like all of you to be there. Oughta be a helluva party." She grinned.

Jack grinned right back. "Well, we'll have to check, but short of the end of the world, I suspect we can be here."

Carter nodded. "Can I bring Pete?"

"The more the merrier." She turned to Willow. "Sorry about screwing up your plans for the bachelorette party, Red, but I think it'd be best if we call it off. Can't get my drink on like I was plannin' to. Rob has officially threatened to throw me in the dungeon if I even look at a beer." Robin nodded solemnly.

"No big. Just months and months of meticulous planning shot to Hell. No worries. Really." Her smile let Faith know she wasn't really mad. "Besides, we can always have a big bash for us girls after you've had the kids. Sort of a post bachelorette, hello Mama Faith thing." Her eyes took on a distant look as she started thinking about it.

"Mama Faith? Hoo boy..." Faith sat down heavily. _Mama. Wow. _

Buffy grinned at the expression on Faith's face. She didn't have any doubts that the couple would be good parents, but it was fun watching Faith adjust to it all.

Duncan stood up. "If you don't mind, Giles, there is one thing I'd like to bring up before we go." Giles motioned for him to go ahead. "I've been thinking about this for a the last few days. I think it would be best if we all kept quiet about Buffy being an Immortal. It's too much to hope that Cerephus hasn't found out that Buffy is still alive. If he still thinks she's dead, that could well work to our advantage, but I'm not going to count on it. But that aside, the longer we keep the world in general from finding out she's an Immortal, the better off she'll be."

He turned to Buffy. "We Immortals can't detect that you're one of us, it's hidden under your Slayer vibe just like Illyria said. But sooner or later, somebody's going to figure out that you aren't getting any older. And the longer you put that day off, the better. An Immortal Slayer will be too good a target to pass up. Every Immortal Headhunter or demon looking to make a name for himself will come after you."

Buffy nodded. "Yeah. Kinda figured that out already. Demons always did like coming after the Slayer anyway, but I figure this'll make it that much worse. Joy."

Duncan smiled gently. "I know. So, I think we're all agreed that limiting the knowledge to those we know we can trust would be best?" There was agreement from all in the room. "Good. I didn't mean to speak out of turn, Buffy, but I thought it best to deal with this now. I don't know when we'll have a chance to get this group together again. Faith and Robin's impending nuptials aside, of course."

Buffy waved a hand. "No biggie. Like I said, I was thinking along those lines myself. I would like to talk to you and Adam before you head out, though." Duncan and Methos nodded. Buffy turned to Giles. "Anything else, Giles?"

"Only to thank our new friends, and all of you for that matter, for your hard work. We may have lost this particular battle, but we have gained some very valuable intelligence, and we certainly have a much better idea of the adversary that we face. I'm proud of all of you." He paused a moment, looking at them all fondly. "Well, I suppose that's it for now. If I don't see you before, I'll see you all next Friday."

Chapter the Fourth

_Later that evening_...

Buffy couldn't sleep. She didn't want to admit it to herself, but she hadn't slept well since they'd gotten back from the failed strike against Cerephus. As happy as she was about the whole not being dead thing, she wasn't really dealing with her newly discovered immortality all that well. And the more Duncan and Adam filled her in about The Game and some of the Immortal Headhunters they'd dealt with over the years, the less she liked it.

She finally gave up on sleep, threw on some sweats and headed outside. The hotel was built in a big **U**, with a large courtyard that contained a pleasant garden in the middle of the **U**. She had found it restful whenever she had stayed here, so she decided to go out to her favorite bench for a while. She could stare at the stars and enjoy the quiet.

As she wound her way around the path that led to her favorite spot, her mind was churning. There had been such an information overload these last few days, she hadn't had time to process it all. She paused, sniffing the air. She could smell tobacco smoke. Walking around the last bush that concealed the bench, she shook her head and smiled. "Hey, Spike."

Spike was slouched down on the bench. He sat up quickly, realising it was too late to hide the fact that he'd been stargazing. "Umm, hullo Slayer. Just out for a bit 'o fresh air. You?"

Buffy waved the smoke away and smiled crookedly. "Yeah, me too. All about the fresh air." She tilted her head at the bench, and Spike gestured for her to sit down. She did, stretching her legs out in front of her.

"Nice spot, this. Quiet," Spike said.

"Yeah. I love it here. Good view of the sky."

"Yup." They sat in companionable silence for a bit. Spike studied Buffy from the corner of his eye, trying to determine her state of mind. "Soooo... Good news about Faith and the principal then, eh?"

Buffy nodded once and answered in a distracted tone. "Uh huh."

"Happy for 'em then, are you?"

"Sure. I think they'll be great parents." She finally looked over at Spike, frowning. "You going somewhere with this, or is this just you making conversation?"

"Dunno that I'm so much goin' anywhere with it, pet. Know you always wanted to 'ave some rugrats someday. And now you've found out you can't. And just to top that off, two seconds after you have _that_ little bomb dropped on you, you find out Faith's not only in the family way, but that it's twins. It occurred to me that maybe, just maybe, mind you, you might be just a tad upset about it. 'Course, I could be wrong. I have been known to be wrong. Occasionaly. Every twenty years or so." He grinned and tossed the butt of his cigarette into the gravel path.

Buffy tried to stare him down, but he wasn't having any of it. "Okay, fine. It bothers me. Not that their having kids, honestly, I'm thrilled for them. I am. But yeah, I can't help it. I can be Aunt Buffy from now till Doomsday, but I'll never be Mommy. It bugs the crap outta me. And then there's the whole 'Game' thing. Some game." She snorted derisively. "No consolation prizes at all."

"So I've heard."

"And it's not even that I'm all that upset about the not having kids thing. Not like I was any where near ready for that anyway. It's just..." She trailed off, lost in thought.

"Just what, pet?" Spike prodded gently.

"Everything! All of it! I mean, I don't even know if I can trust my Slayer dreams anymore. When we activated all the Potentials, I thought maybe we'd all finally have a chance to rest. Be normal. It feels like we've been running nonstop since we hopped the last bus out of Sunnydale. Literally." She sighed heavily. "I guess I'm just tired. Must be getting old."

"Old, huh? S'pose that explains Jack, then..." Buffy slugged him in the shoulder. "Sorry, sorry..."

"Uh huh. Don't_ you _start." She wagged a threatening fist under Spike's nose while he tried to look innocent.

"No harm no foul, pet. I actually like the guy. Reminds me of me. Only without the sordid history. And he's nothing at all like the Great Poofter." He chuckled as Buffy shot him a dirty look. "Look, sarcasm aside, I _do _like the guy. Good in a fight, if 'is mini-me clone is any indicator. Funny too. And he seems to make you happy."

"He does. He really does. Too bad it's just a fling." She laughed as Spike did a double take. "We had a long talk about everything. We're pretty good together, but we both know it's just for now. We've all been thrown together for this fight, but sooner or later this fight'll be over, and eventually we'll all go our separate ways."

Spike stood up and started pacing. "Well yeah, sure, but that doesn't mean you two can't..."

"I know, Spike. And that's not why it wouldn't last anyway. We just know, you know? For now, we're together and it's good. When it's over, we'll both move on and this will be something good that happened, a good memory, hopefully without all the angst and heartbreak that he and I both always seem to wind up with in our relationships. Had enough of _that_ to last a lifetime already, and now it looks like I've got eternity to rack up the heartache, so I'm happy with this being what it is. And what it is, is good. Okay?"

"S'pose so. Didn't mean to turn this into a big therapy session, luv. Was just concerned, is all."

Buffy gave a little laugh. "I know. It's all good. So you're through with the cracks about me and Jack now right?"

"Not a chance, pet. There're some opportunities that just can't be passed up." He gave her a smug grin.

Buffy rolled her eyes. She had no doubt that she was going to be on the receiving end of a ton of grief at the wedding. _Oh well. What goes around, comes around._

Chapter the Fifth

As Buffy and Spike sat in the garden and had their little chat, Dawn was up in her room running a bath. She'd spent the last few hours training with Amanda and Adam, and now felt like she'd been through a meat grinder. She just wanted to soak in the tub for an hour or so and let the aches and pains ease away.

She dumped in an extra large dose of bubble bath, then climbed in slowly, sinking up to her nose and letting the heat sink in. _Aaaaaahhhh! That's the stuff... _She settled herself into a comfortable position and tried not to doze off. _I love the sword play. I do. But sometimes I swear they're trying just a little too hard. I have bruises on my bruises._

She zoned out, almost asleep, thinking random thoughts about the impending wedding and other little things, such as the end of the world. _At least we managed to talk Faith out of that Godawful shade of green. Looked like something a demon puked up. Who should I take for my date? Connor maybe? Spike? Could ask Jon. Hehehe. I can see it now, two sisters basically dating the same guy. Maybe not, probably kinda high on the Weird-o-meter. Wonder if Willow can put up a strong enough ward to keep out Cerephus. Or the Senior Partners' flunkies, for that matter. I gonna be pissed if we wind up in a big fight and my dress gets ruined. Or the wedding. Wonder what Faith 'n Robin are gonna have as the song for their first dance..._

Her reverie was interrupted by the sound of the door crashing open. She jerked upright in the tub, shocked at the sight of a Tarrl'esh demon standing in her bathroom, swinging its axe at her head. _Axe! Oh, CRAP! _Not having the time to do anything else, she _shifted _herself just in time, placing herself behind the demon just as the axe swept through the space Dawn had occupied a split second before, shattering the tub.

It swung it's head around, confused, looking for it's victim. At the sound of Dawn's voice, low and dangerous, it spun around to face her, surprise evident in its expression.

"You. Interrupted. My. _BATH_!" She blasted the Tarrl'esh point blank. The force of the blast sent it flying through the wall, falling three stories and landing in a heap in front of a very surprised Buffy and Spike. As it struggled to its feet, Dawn flew through the hole in the wall and landed in front of it, rage pouring off of her. "Nobody. Interrupts. My. _BATH_!" She lashed out at the demon, landing a flurry of blows, ending it with a powerhouse right that sent it skidding thirty feet into a tree, unconscious.

She walked over and stood over it, trembling as the adrenaline surge faded. She gave it a swift kick. "Jerk." She turned at the sound of her sister clearing her throat. Buffy was blushing, while Spike was trying not to stare. And failing. "What?"

Buffy, still blushing, mumbled something unintelligible and waved a hand at Dawn. Dawn looked down at herself and turned beet red. In her shock and anger, she'd forgotten that she had been in the tub, and was therefore standing in the middle of the courtyard, naked. Dripping, clumps of bath bubbles still clinging to her, being ogled by Spike, naked. "Oh!" She tried to cover up, ducking behind a bush and ignoring the chuckles coming from Buffy and Spike.

Buffy snorted a bit as she tried to stop laughing and nudged Spike. "Um, Spike, why don't you give Dawn your coat?"

"Huh? Oh, right. Sure. Here ya go, Bit." He shrugged off his duster and tossed it to Dawn, carefully averting his eyes, not really wanting a pissed off Slayer, or worse, a pissed off Key-Girl zapping him just for having roving eyes. Dawn muttered a barely audible 'Thanks' as she put on the coat.

Stepping out from behind the tree, she stalked over to the still unconscious demon. "Okay, here's a question for ya, Buffy. How did this mook get past Willow's wards? He attacked me in my bathroom, for cryin' out loud! While I was in the _bath_!"

Buffy gave a start as what Dawn said sank in and glanced at Spike. He was staring up at the gaping hole in the wall, the realisation already having hit him.

If the enemy could get past all of Willow's wards, then none of them were safe here.

Spike's eyes widened as a thought occured to him. "Where's Willow?"

Buffy shrugged. "Dunno. I think she and Kennedy were gonna try to slip off for some quality time tonight, but she didn't say where they were going. Why?"

"This guy went straight for Super-Bit here. Hotel full of Slayers, Watcher's 'n Immortals, lots of nifty weapons and mystical nick-knacks about, but he went straight for Dawn. Now, who do we know that has enough mojo t' take down Willow's protection spells, and also'd think that Red and Dawnie are probably the biggest threat to whatever it is 'e's up to?"

Worry clouded Buffy's features. "Cerephus. And if he's after Dawn, he's probably after Willow too." Spike nodded, concern evident on his face.

Buffy closed her eyes and sought Willow in the meld. _Willow? Willow, can you hear me? You're in trouble, Will, Cerephus just attacked Dawnie and we think he's probably after you too. Will? _She opened her eyes and looked at Dawn and Spike. "Nothing! I can't reach her!"

Dawn opened her eyes and shook her head, looking slightly dazed. "Not just Willow, Buffy. I can't reach anybody. We're being blocked."

They could hear the sound of running feet as people came running from inside the hotel to see what had happened. Buffy stared at the Tarrl'esh for a moment, then looked up, her eyes cold. "Let's get this guy inside and find out who he is and where he came from. Then let's go find Willow."

Chapter the Sixth

Within fifteen minutes, search parties set out from the hotel looking for Kennedy and Willow. Vi had recalled Willow mentioning going to a movie, so Buffy, Dawn, Spike and Amanda headed for the nearest theater while other groups spread out through town. Bethany had tried a locator spell, but to no avail.

Buffy had donned a long black trenchcoat, in order to hide her sword, while Dawn had hers hidden beneath Spike's duster, which she still wore. Spike had grabbed a few stakes and knives, and had a zat tucked into the waistband of his jeans under his shirt. At least one person in each search party had one of the Asgard communicators on loan from the SGC. They seemed to be working fine, which was a welcome relief as the Wiccan Mind Meld still seemed to be blocked.

Buffy's communicator chirped in her ear. "_Buffy_?"

"Go, Giles."

"_The Tarrl'esh is still unconscious, but Mr. Gunn has identified it as being a member of the Order of Sarrkahn. Apparently they're assassins, worse even that the Order of Tarraka. I'm sure you remember them._"

"Oooh, yeah. Great, we've got professional assassins after us again. My joy knows no bounds."

"_Yes. Rather. It seems the Sarrkahn assassins were regularly contracted by Wolfram & Hart. Angel had managed to keep them out of a number of expensive contracts in the last year, so they have, if I understand Charles correctly, sworn to take down Angel and anybody associated with him._"

"Swell." The sarcasm positively dripped from Buffy's voice.

"_Indeed. At this point, it's just as likely that they're here on their own behalf, or working for the Senior partners. It's entirely possible that they're working for Cerephus, as well. We hope to learn more when Dawn's friend comes to._"

"He is _soooo _not my friend! No good peeping Tom demon pervert..." Dawn trailed off, grumbling.

Giles chuckled. "_I'll be sure to let him know how outraged you are, my dear. There are two more search parties leaving as we speak, Buffy. Do keep me informed, won't you?_"

"No problem. Hey, Angel, you there?"

Angel's voice came back over the comm. "_Yeah, Buffy, I can hear you fine._"

"Remind me to kick your ass later."

Spike held his hand up and bounced on his toes. "Ooh! I'll remind you! I'll remind you!"

"_Shut up, Spike. Buffy, they haven't been to the restaurant you sent us to, we're gonna head further into town and see if anyone has seen them._"

"Okay. Everybody check in regularly, alright? We don't have any idea how many of these guys are out there." She nodded to herself as the affirmatives came back over the comm, then signed off. "Assassins. Swell. Just swell. Dawn, you got that picture of Willow and Kennedy?"

"Yup. Got it right here." She held up a photo. It had been taken before they had left the Temple of D'arrsinog'auphous. Kennedy was perched on a huge marble throne, Willow laying across her lap with her legs sticking out, both of them making funny faces and laughing. Buffy smiled at the memory. It had felt as though the weight of the world had been lifted, if only for a little while. The world had come crashing back down, as the world is wont to do, but for a few wonderful days, all was right and good.

"Why don't you see if the girl at the ticket window recognises them or not." Dawn nodded and trotted over to the bored young girl. Buffy looked around, wondering where else to look if they weren't in the theater. She wasn't really all that familiar with the area, having not spent that much time here. Dawn came back, her expression somewhere between excited and forlorn.

"They _were_ here, but their movie is already over. She said she thought they went off that way." She pointed off to her right, up the street.

"She was sure it was them?"

"Yeah, she was positive. Said they kinda stood out in the crowd." Dawn smiled a lopsided grin and waggled her eyebrows.

Spike snorted. "No doubt 'bout _that_. Off we go then. Better fill in the rest of 'em, Slayer." Buffy nodded and started speaking quietly into the comm, geting the other groups moving in their general direction.

They'd walked about three blocks when Buffy's spider sense started tingling. She stopped and studied the area around them. Nothing but stores closed for the night, a few pubs, lots of alleys. Spike looked at her sidelong. "Somethin' up, Slayer?"

"Dunno. I felt... something." She turned full circle. The feeling was getting stronger. Suddenly, Willow's voice rang out in her mind. _BUFFY! DAWN! SOMEBODY!_

Buffy: _Willow, where are you, we're trying to find you!_

Willow: _Oh, thank the Goddess! __About six blocks from the theater. I think. We've got a dozen bad guys here, and somehow they're blocking most of my attacks. There's too many of them for us to fight hand to hand!_

Buffy: _We're on our way! Everybody else get that?_

Angel: _Got it, Buffy. Coming as fast as we can!_

Other affirmative responses came through the staticky meld. Buffy and her team were already running flat out to the aid of their embattled friends. Soon, they could hear the sounds of combat and see the bright flashes as Willow tried different spells to fend off their enemies. Rounding the corner, they paused at the entrance of the alley. Kennedy was faced off against four demons, moving so fast she was a blur, landing blow after blow, but the Sarrkaahn assassins were shrugging off her blows and landing several of their own.

Willow was throwing energy balls at the demons as fast as she could cojure them, but they were having little effect. Spike nudged Buffy.

Spike: _How come Red isn't all white 'n glowy?_

Willow: _Because I _can't_! Something is blocking me. The only magycks I can access are black magycks, and hey, really don't wanna go there! It took almost everything I had just to get past whatever was blocking the meld. I don't have much left!_

Dawn: _Well, how's about I just take care of that, huh?_

Dawn cut loose with a Demon Duster Blast. All twelve of the assassins were thrown for a loop. Dawn grinned smugly.

Her smug grin faded quickly, however, as the demons quickly regained their feet and threw themselves back into the fight. "Holy crap!" She fired off an even more powerful burst, sending the demons flying again, but succeeding only in stunning them. Willow and Kennedy ran to join their four would-be saviors as the assassins groggily got back to their feet.

Dawn and Willow exchanged glances, then the stunned Key turned back to the demon assassins that now stood facing them. "Who _are_ these guys?"

Buffy drew her katana and gave it a few twirls, loosening up. "I'm more interested in how they're working their mojo. Anybody with the power to withstand the two of you is someone I really don't wanna meet."

Spike cracked his knuckles, then gripped the handle of the zat under his shirt. "Bit late for that, luv. 'Cause there they are. Big as life and twice as fugly." He pulled the zat and fired it three times in one smooth motion. The Tarrl'esh demon he fired at screamed and disintegrated. "Well, good. That works then." He started pulling the trigger as fast as he could, but by then the demons were moving, so he couldn't keep any of them in his sights long enough to get the required three shots in. One shot didn't even slow them down, and two shots just staggered them, but apparently three shots still disrupted their molecular cohesion.

Buffy sent out a warning to the rest of the teams that were on their way, then she swept into the fray, her katana a blur. Dawn and Amanda followed her lead as Spike and Kennedy covered Willow while she tried to find a way around whatever was letting the Sarrkahn assassins defeat both hers and Dawn's powers.

Spike had a sudden inspiration. _Hey, Nibblet!_

Dawn: _What?_

Spike: _You've seen Star Wars haven't ya?_

Dawn: _Yeah. What's that got to do with anything?_

Spike: _Think Jedi, pet. Maybe you can't dust 'em, but you can still throw 'em around!_

Dawn thought about it for a second, then grinned. _Leave it to Spike... _She jumped back, spinning and swinging her katana in a great arc, and let loose with a bolt of pure energy, blasting three demons away from her and sending them crashing into a wall. Amanda managed to behead two of them before having to back away from the third, fighting madly to keep its foot long claws away from her.

Dawn: _Not bad, Spikey. Never took you for a sci-fi geek._

Spike: _You have _met_ Andrew, haven't you? _

Dawn: _Oh. Right. Let's give this another try, shall we? Coming your direction this time sis. _

She blasted two more, this time sending them skidding in front of Buffy. Buffy neatly decapitated one, continuing the stroke down and through the second. Spike was blasting away with the zat, finally managing to kill another demon. Angel, Duncan, Vi, Jon, Cassie, Anise, Na'reen and Illyria came barreling into the alley just as ten more demons showed up.

A Vykar demon got inside Amanda's defense and slammed her into a brick wall, stunning her. It drew it's sword, preparing to take her head. Illyria held her hands out. The air around them shimmered, and Wesley's Colt .45's appeared in her hands. She blasted away at the Vykar, emptying both clips into it and giving Jon and Anise time to zat it into non-exsistence.

Angel stared at the guns in the Old One's hands. She gazed back at him solemnly. "These weapons served Wesley in good stead. They have once again proven their worth." She willed the pistols away and leaped into the midst of the battle, a satisfied look on her face.

Angel shook his head and smiled a little smile. "Yeah. And I'm sure that the fact they belonged to Wes has nothing to do with it..." He went to cover Amanda as she slowly got back on her feet, his favorite sword moving like a thing alive.

Illyria: _Witch, why do you not simply remove the spells that block your powers and protect these beasts from the Power of the Key?_

Willow: _Well, gosh, now why didn't I think of that?_

Illyria: _Sarcasm. Was that not sarcasm?_

Willow: _I won't even dignify that with an answer. I've been trying to get past whatever's blocking me since this started. Whatever it is, I can barely think straight with the static in my head. I've almost exhausted my reserves, and I can only access Black Magycks. I can't access White Magyck at all!_

Illyria: _Ah. Then it is the spell that I believed it to be. Can you read my thoughts directly, Witch?_

Willow: _Yes. And my name is Willow, not Witch._

Illyria: _Apologies. I am thinking of a spell, Willow. Can you perform it?_

Willow concentrated for a moment, then broke out grinning. _Yes! That could do it! Guys, cover me for a minute, we might have a way out of this. _She sat down and crossed her legs, lotus style, and started chanting.

Around her, the battle raged. More reinforcements arrived, on both sides. Spike had retrieved a dropped sword and he and Angel were fighting back to back, perfectly in synch, trading insults all the while. Amanda and Vi were covering Dawn as she blasted demon after demon. The alley was pure bedlam, assassins and champions locked in a life or death battle. Jon had a zat in each hand, laying down a thick blanket of cover fire, allowing Cassie and Connor to go hand to hand without having to watch their backs.

Illyria could feel the energy growing behind her as she guided Willow through the spell. _Soon now... _Even her own power was weakened by the powerful magic that protected the assassins. More Slayers arrived, accompanied by Gunn and Bethany, the young wicca adding her strength to Willow's. Gunn didn't hesitate, diving into the fight with his new battle axe.

Suddenly, a white glow lit up the alley as Willow floated up, shining like the morning sun. All present could feel the power released as Willow finally broke down the magycks that had defeated the Champions for the duration of the battle. Willow gasped, refreshed as the power of the world around her reinvigorated her. _Thanks, Illyria. Dawnie, GO!_

Dawn smiled a nasty little smile and let go. A green tinted shockwave shot out from her, dusting every evil demon inside a twenty block radius. And then it was over. Cheering broke out from the victorious Champions as Dawn slumped down to the ground, exhausted. Buffy and Spike walked over and knelt down beside her. She looked up at them, tired right down to her bones. For all her Power, she was still human, and the heavy energy usage had a tendency to tire her quickly.

"Well, _that_ was fun..."

Chapter the Seventh

_Later, back at the hotel..._

"I don't think these guys work for Cerephus."

Jon O'Neill stared right back at the incredulous looks that came his way after his offhanded remark. Giles was the first to speak. "Err, why would you say that?"

Jon started ticking off points on his fingers. "One: In Rome, he was able to block the meld completely. Here, Willow was able to power her way past it. Two: In Rome, he was able to block the Asgard tech. Here, the comms worked just fine and I'll bet the transporters would've too. Three: These guys managed to sneak one assassin in past the protective wards. I get the feeling that if the Immortal Snakehead was behind this, there woulda been a lot more than one of 'em. Probably would've sent enough in to take out the whole place. And four, while I could certainly see him coming up with a way to block their powers, I figure he'd have been more successful at it. Plus there weren't any Goa'uld weapons on these guys. Doesn't necessarily mean anything, but he'd definitely loaded his flunkies in Rome up with Goa'uld hardware. And maybe I'm wrong, but it also seems to me that they were trying to push Willow over to the Dark Side. If she was to go all evil, I can't picture her wanting to join forces with Cerephus. More likely she'd kill him and take over the world herself." He looked apologetically at Willow, who just nodded. He was probably right. Sure, he looked eighteen and went by 'Jon', but he was still Jack O'Neill when it came right down to it, and still had all of his experience and instincts.

There was a short silence as the group mulled this over. Buffy finally glanced at Giles. "Man's got a point. The more I think about it, this just didn't feel like Cerephus' style."

Willow pulled a face. "Which means we have more than one bad guy gunning for us. Isn't _that_ just nifty?"

"We already had the Senior Partners after us, which probably means they're after you just by association," Angel said tiredly.

"Can't thank you enough for _that_, Dead-Boy," Xander groused.

Giles held up a hand to head off Angel's retort. "We've all made enemies over the years. The Sarrkahn Assassins could be working for any of them. We shall endeavour to ascertain who, if anybody, they're working for when our prisoner comes to."

"And why they're trying to bring back Darth Rosenberg," muttered Xander. Giles, the only one in the room to hear him, gave him a small nod.

Willow stood up and started for the door. "Guess I'd better get with Bethany and see if we can amp up the wards. Don't wany any demon-y assassins popping in on _me_ in the bath."

Anise followed her and Kennedy into the hallway. "Perhaps we can find a way to blend Goa'uld or Asgard shields with your protective wards, as Cerephus did. It seemed to be most effective for him."

Willow's excited voice could be heard as it faded down the hallway. "Oooo, yeah! I think that would be totally doable! Hey, didn't Jack say that that Thor guy was supposed to get here before too long? Maybe we can get him to help. And Col. Carter, if she gets back in time..."

Buffy chuckled. "Sounds like Will has a project. She'll be a happy camper for days."

Dawn laughed as she took off Spike's duster. "No kidding. Probably hafta break out the earplugs to protect ourselves from the techno-babble."

Jon cast a worried glance after the departed witch. "She gets going good, does she?"

"She can out-babble anyone I've ever met, especially when it comes to the witchcraft or science stuff," said Dawn.

Jon rolled his eyes. "Great. Her, Carter and Anise'll be inseparable."

Dawn held Spike's duster out to him. "Here ya go, Spike. Thanks for the loan."

Spike looked at the jacket for a long moment, then looked up at Dawn. "Keep it, Nibblet. Looks better on you anyway."

Silence reigned supreme as everybody in the room turned to stare at him. "What? She can use it to hide her sword. 'Sides, it's just not the same as m' old one. Looks like it, sure. Doesn't feel like it though. Thinkin' it's time for me to try somethin' new. M'not the same person I was back then, high time I started acting like it."

Dawn was looking back and forth between the duster and Spike. "You sure?"

"Yup. It's all yours, luv. Wear it with pride."

Dawn's face lit up. "I will." She put the jacket back on, then surprised everyone in the room, including herself, by walking over and kissing Spike square on the mouth. Breaking the kiss, she drew him into a hug and whispered a heartfelt 'Thank you' into his ear, then turned and bounced happily out of the room. "Later all. Gonna go round up some Slayer muscle to help me move my stuff to another room. Mine's all drafty now..."

Buffy was staring daggers at Spike. Spike held his hands up. "Don't look at me, Slayer. Didn't see that one comin' at all!"

Buffy was opening her mouth to tear into him, but stopped short when Angel suddenly grabbed his head with both hands and let out a loud groan. "Gaaahhh, not another one..." He sat down heavily in a nearby chair as the vision overwhelmed him. A minute later, he shook his head and opened his eyes, fear and worry written plainly on his face.

"We need to get to LA. Now. The Senior Partners are sending more of the Sarrkahn assassins after our friends."

* * *

_To be continued...

* * *

_

Okay, like I said at the beginning of this part, I've screwed up the Stargate timeline royally. But since this is a crossover, and a crossover is basically an AU, I'm just gonna pretend that this is an alternate reality, and that the timeline I've established is what happened in this particular reality. Kinda like how Amanda (the Slayer) was still around to be killed by Glory in my first story, 'What are we gonna do now?'. (Saying it's an AU sounds better than admitting I screwed up, doesn't it?)

Other than that, I really am trying to stay canon.

Well, except for the whole turning Dawn into a Goku style superhero.

And making Buffy a Highlander style Immortal.

And any other liberties I've taken.

Of which there are several. Dozen.

Oh well.

Gotta love those liberties!

I'm having fun, so what the frelling frack!

All Hail the Goddess Willow! Later! ;-)

_'To thee no star be dark...'_


	7. Part VII

Summary: The Senior Partners are sending assassins after our intrepid heroes friends and family. Unexpected help arrives.

Crossover: Highlander, Stargate SG-1, Charmed

Notes: Yes, I've gone and done it. I've gone and added another fandom to this mess! Oi! Add that to a truly MASSIVE case of writers block (silly lil' muse, anyway), and I was commencin' to wonder if I was ever gonna get this update out. All Hail the Goddess Willow!

Disclaimer: The various fandoms mentioned herein belong to so many other people that if they decided to sue me they'd get all of about ten cents apiece. 'Course, some of those nickel-and-dimers out there would probably think it was worth it...

* * *

DID SOMEBODY SAY SOMETHING ABOUT NOT FADING AWAY? PART VII

By screaminheathen69

... Angel suddenly grabbed his head with both hands and let out a loud groan. "Gaaahhh, not another one..." He sat down heavily on a nearby chair as the vision overwhelmed him. A minute later, he shook his head and opened his eyes, fear and worry written plainly on his face.

"We need to get to LA. Now. The Senior Partners are sending more of the Sarrkahn assassins after our friends."

Buffy jumped to her feet. "Friends, as in..."

"Lorne. Anne. A few others in LA." He looked Buffy in the eye. "Your aunt and her family. Willow's mom and dad."

"Oh, God, we have to-" Buffy trailed off at a strange, almost musical sound that accompanied a sparkling white light in the room. As the light faded away, the room was suddenly very crowded. And a stunned crowd it was, too. Willow, Kennedy, Dawn, Giles, Xander, Gunn, Illyria, Faith, Robin, Nina and Connor all stood there, staring bug-eyed at Buffy. "Okay. What the frilly heck was _that_?"

"Not what, dear; who. And that would be me." The voice came from behind her, bringing the realisation that her friends weren't staring at her, but at someone behind her. She turned around.

And at the sight of who was standing there, her eyes bugged out too.

Joyce Summers grinned nervously and gave a little wave. "Um, surprise?"

Buffy quickly pulled herself together. "Oh, look. The Taunter's back. Isn't this just swell. Couldn't stay away, huh? Had to come back and give us some more grief?"

Joyce's face was a study of confusion. "Huh? Oh, right. No. I'm _not_ the First. Buffy, Dawn, it's me. It's Mom." Buffy started to retort, but stopped as Angel shook his head.

"It's her, Buffy." Buffy stared at Joyce, unbelieving. Joyce walked over and stood in front of her, holding out her hands.

"It really is me. Honest." Buffy tenatively reached out to her mothers hand, finding it to be solid. Eyes shining, she drew Joyce into a hug.

"You're here! You're really here!" Dawn ran over, nearly bowling them both over. For the longest time, they held each other, blissed on joy, happier than they'd been in years.

"How?" Buffy sobbed out.

"I'm a White-Lighter now. I thought Daniel told you."

"He said something about it. Haven't had a chance to find out what a White-Lighter is. Been a little busy."

Joyce laughed. "Explanations later. We have plenty of time."

Finally, Joyce stepped back, wiping away a stray tear. She started to say something, but was almost bowled over yet again as Willow, Xander and Giles immediately filled the space her daughters had just vacated. She hugged back, whispering greetings to each of them, before finally pulling away. "It's so good to see you. All of you. But we should put off the reunion for a while. We have a problem to deal with first. Several problems, actually."

Buffy couldn't stop grinning. "Gee, thanks ma. Cause, like, we didn't already have more than enough to deal with."

Joyce rolled her eyes. "Nice to see some things never change. Actually, this has to do with the problems you already had." She turned to Angel. "You just had a vision, right?"

"Um, yeah..."

"Haven't had time to tell the rest of them?"

"No."

Joyce nodded, then turned back to the group, No-Nonsense-Mom-Face in place. Buffy fought back another outbreak of tears. She'd missed her so much. "Okay. Angel just had a vision. The Senior Partners are the ones that sent the assassins after Willow and Dawn. They're not finished. They've decided to take out Angel by whatever means necessary. Apparently, they've decided that if they can't take you down directly, then they'll go the long way around. They're going after friends and family. They've targeted Lorne, Mr. Gunn's friend Anne, my sister and Willow's parents." Willow gasped. Kennedy wrapped her arms around her, trying to keep her calm.

Joyce continued. "Some, uh, friends of mine are protecting my sister. Willow, do you know where your parents are?"

"Yes. If they're still going by the schedule they sent me, they should be in Milwaukee."

"They are. You need to get to them, now. And take back up."

Kennedy spoke up quickly. "I'm in, Red." Willow squeezed her hand gratefully.

"Me too, Will," said Xander.

Giles finally managed to pull his eyes away from Joyce. "Er, yes. Willow, why don't you pick a few Slayers to take with you. Just in case, Jon, have you still got those Asgard communicators with you?" Jon nodded and handed one each to Willow, Kennedy and Xander. They headed for the armory, Willow calling Vi, Anise and several other Slayers through the meld.

Joyce turned to Gunn next. "Mr. Gunn-"

"Gunn. Just Gunn."

"Sorry. Gunn, Anne is at the shelter. She doesn't have a clue about what's coming her way."

"Right. Let me go load up 'n recruit some muscle, and I'll be ready to go." There wasn't any way he was going to let his friends suffer for what he'd done.

Spike laid a hand on Gunn's shoulder. "I've got your back, Charlie-Boy." Gunn nodded gratefully. Spike turned to Illyria. "What about you, Blue? Feel up to a spot o' violence?"

Illyria cocked her head. "Indeed. We will make trophies of their spines."

Spike grinned. "Right. So how we gettin' to LA then?"

"I can get us all there as soon as you're ready," said Joyce. She turned to Angel. "Angel, I know where Lorne is. I can drop these guys off at the shelter and then take you straight to him."

"Good. Buffy, I could use some back up."

Buffy nodded. "I'm there."

"Me too," said Dawn. "Just try going without me."

Buffy smiled, then addressed the room. "Okay, let's gear up and get our respective groups together. We meet back here in ten minutes and head out. Got it? Good." She jogged out the door, followed by most of the group.

Spike stopped at the door, then turned and walked back over to Joyce. "Can't tell you how good it is to see you, luv. Missed you somethin' awful." He gave her a quick hug, then turned and quickly made his way after the rest.

Joyce sat down, completely unable to wipe the huge, stupid grin from her face. Things were bad, and worse things were coming, but she couldn't bring herself to be too concerned right then.

She was home again.

* * *

Chapter the Second

In the alley behind the shelter, Champions appeared in a bloom of white light as Joyce orbed them in. Gunn glanced around. "You sure she's inside?"

Joyce closed her eyes, concentrating. "Yes. Her and about a dozen others, all human."

Angel laid a hand on Gunn's shoulder. "Get her to the Hyperion. If she isn't safe in a hotel full of Slayers, Watchers and witches that's protected by Willow's wards, then there's no place she _will _be safe."

"Right. Luck to all y'all." With that, he, Spike and Illyria made their stealthy way inside.

Joyce turned to Angel. "Ready?"

"As I'll ever be."

Joyce smiled reassuringly, then orbed them out. They reappeared in total darkness.

"Oh, neat. Always wanted to know what it was like to be blind. Thanks, Mom," Dawn chirped.

"You _know_ she's gonna smack you as soon as she can see you, doofus," Buffy said drily. Dawn chuckled and created an orb of green light, then let it float above her. Joyce promptly smacked her in the arm. "Toldja."

Dawn rubbed her arm and pouted. "Sheesh. Take on a Hell-Goddess and save the world, but do I get any respect? Nooo. I get smacked. Whatta world..." Joyce gave her an insufferable grin.

Angel rolled his eyes, but couldn't help grinning. He'd missed Joyce too. "Where to now?"

Joyce pointed off to her left, further down the tunnel. "That way. He's definitely there, and he's not alone." The group set off at a jog. Lorne had been through so much already, Angel wasn't going to be the cause of any further grief for his friend. A few minutes later, Joyce halted in front of a door that at first glance looked to be pure rust. "In here."

Buffy started to kick the door in, but Angel stopped her as he caught sight of something. "Wait. Look." He pointed up at a word that had been painted above the door. _Caritas._ He grinned. "I shoulda known." Painted around the doorway were signs in various languages, all of them about the anti-violence spells that protected the place.

As Angel reached for the handle to open the heavy door, to his surprise, it swung open. "C'mon in, boss. Lorne's been expecting you guys." Harmony stood there, smiling her Harmony smile. Angel stood there looking like a gaffed fish. Harmony looked behind him and threw a wave at the Summers women. "Hi! You ladies wanna come on in? 'Cause, kinda stinky out here, ya know?" She waved a hand in front of her nose.

"It is kinda ripe," Dawn said as she nudged Angel through the door.

"Yeah, sewers, who knew?" quipped Buffy. Joyce just rolled her eyes. Dawn was trying to brush some crud from the duster Spike had given her, trying not to think about what the crud might be.

As they walked into the new, but empty, Caritas, Harmony shut the door behind them and flounced over to the bar. "So good to see you again Mrs. Summers. I know I tried to kill all of you a couple of times, but I really am better now. So, no hard feelings?" She raised her eyebrows hopefully.

Joyce shook her head, grinning. Buffy shot Harmony a glare, then sighed. "Maybe. We'll just hafta see." Harmony shrugged good-naturedly.

Angel finally regained his bearings. "Um, yeah. Harmony. Is Lorne here?"

"Be out in a sec. He's on the phone. We've known you were coming for a couple of days, he just wasn't sure when."

Buffy hopped onto a stool at the bar. "How'd you know we were coming? We didn't know 'til about an hour ago."

"I was singing. Lorne read me. Very handy." Harmony went behind the bar and poured herself a drink. "Mmmmmm, otter. Anyway, he saw that there was trouble a brewin', and that you guys were gonna be here in time for it, so he cleared the place out and started beefing up the sanctuary spells. Whatever he saw scared him pretty bad." She handed Angel a mug (pig and otter, just the way he liked it), and poured a Coke for Dawn. "Can I get you two something while we wait?"

Buffy passed, but Joyce's eyes lit up. "Could I get a cup of coffee?" Harmony nodded and poured her a cup. Joyce held the cup in both hands and inhaled deeply, an expression of pure bliss adorning her face. "You cannot imagine how much I've missed coffee up there." She took a sip and groaned appreciatively.

Buffy and Dawn exchanged amused glances. "Geez, Mom, you two need a room?" Dawn asked, smirking, while Buffy giggled. Joyce chose to ignore her.

"Now, _that _is one happy angel." They turned to see Lorne standing in the door to his office. At the look on Angel's face, Lorne waved a hand. "No, not you Angel-Cakes. Her. The lady in love with the java." Joyce glanced up from her coffee long enough to smile at Lorne, then went back to happily sipping away.

Buffy, Dawn, Angel and Harmony were staring at Joyce in confusion. "I thought you said you were a White-Lighter," Buffy stammered.

"White-Lighters _are_ angels, Buffy-kins. Just angels with a mission." Buffy and Dawn couldn't help themselves and started looking at their mother's back, trying to spot hidden wings. Joyce went right on ignoring them, still lost in her first cup of coffee in over three years.

Lorne walked over to Angel, who was standing there uncertain of himself. He'd fully intended to do as Lorne had asked and leave him alone, yet here he stood in his friend's new club, trouble following on his heels as usual. Lorne looked him up and down, obviously lost in thought. Lorne finally shrugged, then drew Angel into a hug. "Glad to see you made it out in one piece, you big lug."

"You too. Missed you." They stepped back, grinning. "I did what you asked. I stayed away. We wouldn't be here if-"

Lorne waved dismissively. "I know. Big Bad types, coming to cause trouble for lil' ol' us." He gestured at Harmony. "I knew they'd come after us eventually. Kinda surprised it took 'em this long. Who are they, anyway?"

"The Order of Sarrkahn."

Lorne turned pale green. Yeah, yeah, I know, he's already pale green. We're talkin' _pale_ green here. "The _Sarrkahn Assassins_? Coming after _me_?" He staggered over to the bar, where Harmony already had a Sea-breeze ready for him. He downed it in one gulp and gestured for another. "So, what's the plan? There_ is _a plan, right? Tell me there's a plan!" He stared at the new arrivals, desperation written all over his face.

Angel shrugged. "Sort of."

_"Sort of!"_

"Well, yeah. Get you guys someplace safe, then figure out the next move." He shrugged again.

Lorne began thumping his head on the bar. "We're toast."

"Hey, cut us some slack, we only found out about all this an hour ago!" Angel huffed indignantly.

_Thump - _"Great warrior of the people - _thump - _Dark Avenger - _thump - _Averter of the Apocalypse - _thump - _here to save my gorgeous green hiney - _thump - _and he doesn't have a _plan_!"

_-Thump-_

Dawn winced. "Dude, doesn't that hurt?" Lorne shot her an acid look that just screamed 'duh!' and went back to his thumping.

Harmony wrapped an arm around him. "Oh, now, come on Lorne-y Toons, it's not that bad. And that's gonna leave the _hugest_ bruise..." Lorne held out a hand, which Harmony promptly placed another Sea-Breeze in, and which Lorne promptly guzzled.

Finally, he straightened up. "Okay, sorry, didn't mean to get all melodramatic there." He pasted a smile on. "How's about we get outa here, huh? Just got this place set up, it'd be nice if it didn't get trashed. Like the last one did." He stared meaningfully at Angel. Angel was staring at a spot on the floor, trying to hide his sheepish expression.

Joyce was staring off into space. Buffy waved a hand in front of her eyes. "Mom? You in there?"

Joyce shook her head to clear it. "Huh? Oh, sorry. We need to go. There's a group of assassins tracking Gunn, hoping we'll show up. We should go straight to the Hyperion."

Lorne reached under the bar and grabbed an axe, which he handed to Harmony, and a sword for himself. "Let's go." Joyce had everyone hold hands and orbed them out.

Seconds later, there was a flash of light as the sanctuary spell around Caritas collapsed, and the door was kicked in. Two dozen Sarrkahn assassins stormed into the now empty bar.

The leader turned to the rest. "They're not here. We go to the hotel. Now."

* * *

Chapter the Third

If one happened to be standing on the street in front of the old Hyperion Hotel on this particular evening, one would find oneself taking in some interesting sights.

Starting with what some might call a white glow-ball suddenly appearing twenty feet in the air and bouncing off of an invisible barrier, then ricocheting to the ground.

Followed by a rather disgruntled group of people appearing, well, magically (not to mention painfully), from thin air.

And then one would have a rare opportunity indeed, as one Buffy Summers, Immortal and Slayer Extraordinaire, proceeded to turn the very air blue with a long, drawn out line of invective (with rather a heavy British influence, right down to a rather familiar accent) pertaining to just how much such a landing hurt.

Which is to say, a _lot_.

One would then witness a blushing White-Lighter, a giggling Key, two very impressed vampires, and KrevLorneSwath of the DethWok Clan, who for the first time pretty much ever was at a loss for words.

Of course, there were far more interesting events yet to come, but one wouldn't know that yet, now would one?

Buffy finished her tirade with a particularly scathing epithet that had Dawn's giggles turning into snorts and Angel's eyebrows disappearing somewhere above his hairline. Joyce walked over to Buffy, who was standing there rubbing the recently offended portion of her anatomy, and quirked an eyebrow. "Done?"

Buffy shot her a smart-alecky look that had Joyce flashing back to high school. "I suppose I can save the _really_ good stuff for later. What happened anyway?"

"Willow's wards," Angel said as he started walking toward the hotel. "Apparently they can stop people from orbing in, too. Good to know."

"Would really rather have known that _before _we tried. Might've been less, I dunno, _painful_." Joyce said, falling into step with Angel. He smiled and shrugged apologetically.

Stopping at the edge of the magical barrier, Angel started to say the password, then thought better of it. "Maybe I'd better wait until they get here. If we only open the ward once, the bad guys will have less of a chance to get in." Buffy nodded her agreement and started to say something.

Which is when all Hell broke loose.

The Hyperion exploded, showering the stunned group with flaming debris and sending them tumbling. Buffy was the first back on her feet, followed closely by Angel who started running toward the flaming ruin of the hotel while swatting frantically at the flames trying to burn through the sleeve of his coat.

"Angel, no!" Joyce orbed in front of him and dragged him to a stop. "I'm not sensing anybody. If there was someone in there, it's too late." Angel looked back and forth between Joyce and the steadily growing fire as grief overwhelmed him.

_I failed. Again. Those people are dead because of me. Because of what I did. I picked the fight, and they paid for it. _His grief transformed into rage as he threw his head back and screamed to the heavens.

Down the block, Gunn and his crew came barreling around the corner, having heard the explosion. Gunn stumbled to a halt, not wanting to believe his eyes. "Damn. I was hoping I was wrong..." Anne put a comforting hand on his shoulder.

Spike, turning nervous circles (not that he'd admit to being nervous), nudged the group on. "C'mon then, children, Peaches' lil' campfire's liable to draw a crowd, and I'd just as soon be long gone before the undesirables show up."

He froze at the sound of a voice.

An extremely hated voice.

The voice of someone standing right behind him. "Undesirable, am I?"

He turned slowly, hoping he was wrong.

_Nope. Not wrong. Dammit. _

Cerephus gave Spike a smile that could have frozen cactus in the middle of the desert at high noon.

"Hello, William." Before Spike had a chance to reply, the Immortal backhanded him, sending him flying into a row of dumpsters, and sent a bolt of energy at Illyria, sending her flying over the heads of Angel and Buffy before landing in the conflagration that had grown from the remains of the Hyperion. Gunn moved to place himself between Cerephus and Anne, but the Immortal threw them aside with a bored flick of his hand.

He turned to face Angel's group. "So. Slayer. Finally figured out you were an Immortal, did you? Certainly took you long enough." He snorted derisively. "Guess you really are a genuine blonde. But then you'd have to be, wouldn't you? I mean, for Angelus, it was always the blondes that held the key to his undead heart..."

Angel spluttered as Buffy held him back, trying to keep Cerephus from noticing Spike, who was trying to sneak up behind him.

Cerephus spun around and grabbed Spike by the throat. "Oh, come on now, William. Did you really think I wouldn't know you were sneaking up behind me? You and Angelus really need to get some new moves." He leaned in closer to Spike and lowered his voice to a whisper. "And just how is Drusilla these days? Still as lively as ever in the sack?" He laughed as Spike went livid, then shook his head. "So predictable, William. It's sad, really. Oh well." Cerephus held his hand out as a stake shimmered into existence.

The Immortal smirked. "Time to put you out of my misery, William." Spike's eyes got huge as Cerephus drew back to plunge the stake into his heart.

Suddenly, the world turned green.

Spike landed unceremoniously on his backside as Cerephus found himself being pounded into the pavement by an extremely pissed off former Key.

As Buffy and Angel dragged him clear, all Spike could do was stare at Dawn. _Lord, but she's glorious!_

Dawn and Cerephus went to war.

Chapter the Fourth

* * *

_Meanwhile, back at the hotel in Devon..._

Sheila Rosenburg had not particularly enjoyed her first time being teleported. She was currently displaying her non-enjoyment of the experience from a kneeling position in front of the porcelain throne. Willow was stooped beside her, apologising profusely, when she felt it.

Power. Immense power. Closing her eyes, she reached out, trying to sense what was going on.

_Oh, crap..._

She sent a warning through the meld, apologised to her parents, and, gathering reinforcements as she went, teleported to LA.

..._ and back in good ol' Hell-A ..._

Dawn was wailing on Cerephus, keeping him distracted, making it difficult for him to do much more than keep his shield up. And with the amount of Power she was pouring into every blow, his shield was weakening fast. _I've got you _**this **_time, _Dawn thought to herself over and over. It was becoming a mantra in her mind, with her landing another blow on every _this_. She could see fear beginning to creep onto his face for the first time.

She liked it.

A lot.

_I've got you _**this** _time..._

Which, of course, is right about the time the Sarrkahn Assassins showed up, more than a hundred strong, followed closely by Willow and her seriously outnumbered group of reinforcements.

Chaos ensued.

The two groups crashed into each other, raining death and destruction, the fighting more savage and furious than most of them had ever witnessed, no quarter being given on either side. Willow had hoped to add her Power to Dawn's, but there were six Warlocks with the Sarrkahn, and she soon found herself slugging it out with four of them while Bethany tried to handle the remaining two.

Buffy, Angel, Harmony and Spike were trying to protect Anne while Lorne helped the barely concsious Gunn stagger to his feet. Joyce orbed in next to Lorne with a slightly singed Illyria in tow. Illyria promptly set about dismembering as many opponents as she could get her hands on. Joyce quickly healed Gunn, then turned to Buffy. "I have to go. Be right back." She orbed out, casting a smile in her confused daughter's direction.

"Oh, nice. She picks _now_ to leave?" Ducking an axe, Buffy deftly spun around and beheaded a Baccnus demon.

"Guess yer ma doesn't find a good brawl as entertainin' as we do, pet," Spike hollered, swinging a battle axe and firing a zat, both with deadly precision.

All around them, the fight raged, swords and axes ringing, arrows and bursts of energy flying, all creating a cacophony of sound and light that was at once both grand and terrible.

Unfortunately, a random burst of magical energy hit Dawn, distracting her just enough to let Cerephus activate his ribbon device and throw her off. As he struggled to his feet, Dawn quickly started pounding at his shield again, doing her best to keep him there, unable to teleport away or harm anybody else. Cerephus had his second wind now, though, and was able to fight back. The ground shook and nearby buildings crumbled as they threw everthing they had at each other, and those fighting closest to them were forced to seek cover even as they continued fighting.

In the alley down the block, Joyce and four others orbed in. Peeking around the corner, she grimaced at the carnage. "You sure this spell will work, Leo?"

Leo shrugged. The woman standing next to him quirked an eyebrow. "Well, we _think_ so..."

Joyce turned a questioning look on the three young women. "You _think_? There's a demon army around the corner, and you _think _it'll work?" She knew she was being snarky. Didn't really care. Her daughters were out there, fighting for their lives.

"Didn't have a lot of time to research this, now did we," Piper Halliwell snarked right back, but without any real malice. She and her sisters knew the stakes. Joyce nodded, trying to rein in her fears. She had gone to Leo and asked him to help her recruit the Charmed Ones to aid in the fight against Cerephus, Wolfram & Hart and the Sarrkahn Assassins. Once they knew the full story, they had quickly set about coming up with a way to bind or strip Cerephus' powers, knowing full well that it was incredibly difficult to do so to a sorcerer as old and powerful as the Immortal.

Paige was staring around the corner of the building. She took a deep breath, trying to calm her fear. She'd seen some amazing things since becoming a witch, but nothing had prepared her for what they were about to walk into. "No time like the present. Let's give this a shot."

The Charmed Ones stepped out into the clear, joined hands, and began chanting...

* * *

_To be continued...

* * *

_

Okay, I know, this took for frelling ever, and is really fracking short, but you wouldn't believe the case of writers block I've had. Still have, actually. This part of the story is officially kicking my butt.

I have a whole series of stories called 'The Guardian Chronicles' planned that this one will lead into, but I'm having trouble making up my mind which way to go on a few things. Mostly, I can't decide if I wanna kill off Cerephus, or keep him around to come back and be a pain in the butt in the future. I would dearly love some feedback on this. Let me know what your opinion is, it'd be much appreciated.

My thanks to those who've reviewed!

_'To thee no star be dark...'_


	8. Part VIII

Summary: The Charmed Ones have jumped into the fray, but will it help? Decisions are made, history gets revised, and insanity sets in before Faith's wedding!

Crossover: Highlander, Stargate SG-1, Charmed

Notes: This takes place after 'Not fade away', of course, but also fits into the Stargate timeline a month or so after Jack has been promoted to General, and into the Charmed timeline after Leo killed Gideon, but is still an Elder, and before that whole Avatar mess. All Hail the Goddess Willow!

Disclaimer: Oh, would that it did belong to me! For then I wouldst be rich, and verily could I pay off all my debts! But, noooooo...

* * *

DID SOMEBODY SAY SOMETHING ABOUT NOT FADING AWAY? PART VIII

By screaminheathen69

* * *

_"You think you know what's to come, what you are. You haven't even begun..." Dream Tara in 'Restless'._

_"The universe is vast, and we are so small. There is only one thing we can ever truly control; Whether we are good, or evil." Oma Desala in 'Meridian'._

Chapter the First

... The Charmed Ones stepped out into the clear, joined hands, and began chanting. They had spent the last few days researching Cerephus, and had come up with a spell that would bind his powers. They hoped. Cerephus was something of a wild card, having managed to stay under the radar for almost ten thousand years. Even the Elders had been unable to provide much information.

Cerephus, on the other hand, knew exactly who and what the Charmed Ones were, and was well aware of their irritating knack for taking out supposedly invincible demons. He could sense their power when they orbed into the alley, and realised who it was a moment later.

And it worried him. He was holding his own against Dawn, and Willow was still busy fighting the warlocks, but having the Charmed Ones added to the mix was not something he'd expected. They had a tendency to stick to their own little portion of the mystical world, so the fact that they were here exposing themselves to so many came as a shock.

And as they began to chant their spell, he quickly understood what it was they were trying to do.

He growled out "_Nooo!_", and drew deeper on his power, finally managing to throw Dawn away from him. Cerephus then cut loose with everything he had, firing a massive burst of energy directly at the sisters. Leo, seeing it coming, stepped into its path and let loose a burst of lightning, managing to deflect most of it, the force of the blast still throwing him and the sisters from their feet.

Cerephus began throwing blast after blast at them, keeping them off balance, making it impossible for the Charmed Ones to complete the spell. Dawn joined Leo in intercepting the blasts, but it was all they could do to keep up with the sheer volume that the Immortal was throwing at them.

Driven to her knees by a particularly large burst, Dawn yelled over her shoulder at the sisters. "Whatever it is that you're gonna do, get on with it already!" She had no idea who these newcomers were, and the fact that the Immortal Snakehead over there wanted them dead so badly was all the reason she needed to cover them, but she was tiring fast. And there was still the fight that was going on all around them to be dealt with.

Kneeling, trying to brace themselves and each other against the onslaught, the Charmed Ones joined hands and began chanting the spell again.

Cerephus could feel the magic working, weaving itself around him, and knew he couldn't stop them in time. So, with a final blast, he teleported out, cursing in five different languages. Dawn, who understood three of them, was impressed.

That just left the demon horde. Which, with Cerephus gone, was no problem for Key-Girl. As she prepared to cut loose with her patented Demon-Duster Blast, she could hear her sister through the Wiccan Mind-Meld.

Buffy: _Dawn?_

Dawn: _Yeah?_

Buffy: _Leave me two alive, if you can. We need somebody to be messengers..._

Dawn: _Okey dokey._

Dawn took a deep breath and concentrated, finding all the non-evil demons in the area, as well as picking out two messenger boys. _Got 'em. _Ten seconds later, every evil demon in a twelve block radius was dust, except for the two Buffy wanted. Leo caught Dawn as she collapsed, completely exhausted. "Sleepy time now..."

Joyce gently took Dawn from Leo, studying her younger daughter carefully. Seeing that Dawn was simply asleep, she caught Buffy's eye and nodded, smiling. Buffy let out the nervous breath she hadn't even realised she'd been holding, then stalked over to where the two demons, a Mohra and Hu'lak, were surrounded by about thirty assorted Slayers and witches.

She looked them up and down, giving them a look that Spike would later dub 'The Hazel Gaze of Death', making them shuffle their feet nervously. "Okay. You two are still here for a reason. You're gonna do me a favor. You two are going to go back to whereever the Hell it is you came from and tell all your little demon pals that you, _all_ of you", she waved a hand in a general way, "have royally screwed up. You idiots have officially pissed off the Slayers."

The two demon's eyes bugged a bit at that thought. Buffy smiled an evil little smile, then went on. "You declared war on us. Well, guess what? Now we're gonna declare war on you. You, the Senior Partners, Cerephus, and any other idiot out there that thinks he's the new Big Bad and wants to pick a fight. All of you. Soon, very soon, the Order of Sarrkahn won't be anything more than a sad, pitiful footnote in a sad, pitiful history."

She took a step closer to the cowering demons, causing them to flinch. "We'll be coming for you. Soon. Might be tomorrow, maybe next week. But we _will _be coming for you. So if you don't wanna end up like the rest of your buddies," she waved a hand vaguely at the piles of dust all around them, "you'll disappear. Permanently. Understand?"

The demons nodded, scared out of their minds. "Good. Now, scat!" They ran. Screaming.

Angel walked over and wrapped an arm around the exhausted Slayer. "Do you think they'll actually deliver the message?"

Buffy shrugged, leaning tiredly against him. "Dunno. Hope so. Even if they don't, I plan on delivering the message myself real soon."

Angel grinned. "Count me in. I've had enough of the running and hiding. Time to take the fight to them."

Buffy smiled, then she and Angel walked over to where Joyce was making with the introductions. Willow was beside herself. "The Charmed Ones? As in, _THE_ Charmed Ones? The sisters who took out The Source? The real life, honest to God, accept no substitutes Charmed Ones?"

Piper's eyebrows were trying to hide in her bangs. "Um, yeah. That's us..."

Willow was frantically searching her pockets for a pen. "OhmyGoddess, I have _got _to get your autograph..."

She chose to ignore Kennedy's snort of laughter...

* * *

Chapter the Second

They had won the battle, but it was far from a happy victory, for they had lost many of their own in the fight. Every body they found hit Buffy like a physical blow, deepening her resolve to take the war to the enemy.

There was one bit of good news. Shortly after the fight ended, Lethbridge-Stewart showed up with the majority of his charges in tow. It turned out that he had taken them out for a large group patrol that night, leaving only a few behind at the hotel. Unfortunately, the eleven souls who had remained behind had been killed in the blast, and the kind hearted Watcher was nearly overcome by grief.

In the end, twenty three Champions had died that night.

Hundreds of demons had been slain in the process, but the losses weighed heavily on all of them. But, like Buffy, their resolve was hardened, and all concerned made up their minds then and there that nothing like this would ever happen again.

They had contacted Jack, and soon had been beamed up to the _Prometheus_ so that the wounded could be tended to. Jack, after shooting Buffy a dirty look (primarily because of the fact that since they had brought Leo and the sisters along for the ride Jack would have even more paperwork to deal with), had taken Joyce and their new friends on the Grand Tour while the doctors saw to the injured.

A couple of hours later, Jack went searching for Buffy, finally finding her on the observation deck staring out at the crescent of the Earth visible through the floor to ceiling viewports. "Penny for your thoughts, Tiger," he said quietly, settling into the chair next to hers.

"No thoughts, actually. It's all quiet in here for once." She tapped her temple, smiling.

"Yeah, and the not having the smoke pouring out of your ears? That's pleasant, too." He ducked as she swung at the back of his head. "Sorry..."

"Not yet, you aren't." She shot him a glare, but couldn't hold it for long. They both laughed quietly as Jack curled an arm over her shoulders and pulled her close. "I'm sorry you lost so many tonight. I know how much that hurts."

"I don't think I'll ever get used to it." She leaned into him a little closer.

"You don't want to. Any leader that 'gets used to it' usually ends up getting people killed in their never ending hunt for glory. You might have to accept the fact that in every war, people die, but you don't have to like it. You learn to deal with it, sure, but get used to it? Not so much. And as far as I'm concerned, there ain't no such thing as 'acceptable losses'."

Buffy gave him a sideways look. "Boy, you really _do_ get wound up sometimes, don'tcha?"

Jack grinned, then leaned in and whispered conspiritorially. "Just don't tell anybody, huh?"

They sat in companionable silence for a bit. Buffy finally stirred. "So, was there a reason you came looking for me, or could you just not stand to be away from me any longer?"

"Oh, right. Giles called, wanted to get everyone dirtside for a meeting asap."

"Wrong answer. The correct answer would have been 'Yes, my dear, I couldn't stand being away from you for one minute longer'. See if you get any hot monkey lovin' now, Flyboy." She got up and headed for the door, Jack following on her heels.

"Wait! That all goes without saying..."

"Nope. Saying is definitely the way to go. Should always go with the saying option. Yup."

Jack rolled his eyes, then continued trying to get himself out the hole he'd dug for himself. All the way to the infirmary three decks up. Much to the amusement of the crew. Not to mention SG-1, who had joined them on the elevator. _Good thing I'm a general now. I can just order 'em to quit laughing...

* * *

_

Chapter the Third

It was a large group indeed that gathered in the hotel's largest conference room three hours later. Giles had called in, well, everybody. Giles, Buffy, Dawn (who was yawning something fierce as her nap had been cut short), Joyce, Willow, Xander, Andrew, Kennedy, Vi, and Chao-Ahn. Faith and Robin. Riley and Sam Finn.

Angel, Nina, Spike, Gunn, Lorne, Harmony, Illyria, Connor, and Anne.

Jack, Jon, Carter, Teal'c, Jacob/Selmac, Hammond, Daniel, Cassie, Lt. Jennifer Hailey (who had recently come back from a long term assignment offworld to discover that the reason she'd been feeling so much stronger the last year was because she was a Slayer). Anise/Freya, Na'reen, Aht'ell, and Thor, who'd finally shown up. (Thor was studiously ignoring all the stares he was getting. Jack had taken some time to explain magic and demons to him. Thor had just looked at Jack, vaguely surprised, having long since found all this out on his own. "You didn't know?") Bra'tac, Ishta and Ry'ac had just arrived, having been invited to Faith and Robin's wedding.

Lethbridge-Stewart and several other Watchers, including Joe Dawson and Kaithlynn Lockley. Duncan, Kate, Methos and Amanda. Bethany, Althenea and several other members of the coven. Thirty-odd Slayers. Clem (who had turned up a few days before, looking for Spike. And a job.) And the newest additions, Leo, Piper, Phoebe and Paige.

Buffy stood at the head of the table, next to Giles, trying to get everyones attention. And failing. Teal'c finally took pity on her, stood up and said "Silence!" in that Teal'c-y voice of his, instantly getting the peace and quiet Buffy had been trying for for ten minutes. He bowed to Buffy and sat down, the very essence of dignity.

Buffy shook her head, smiling at the big Jaffa. "Thanks, T. Hello, everybody. I'd like to welcome you to this months meeting of Apocalypse Averters Anonymous. I'm Buffy Summers, and I've been a member for ten years." As a chuckle made its way around the table, Buffy turned to Giles. "And now, I give you our Master of Ceremonies, the Man of Mirth and Merriment himself, Rupert Giles!" She started clapping, and as she'd intended, soon the whole room was applauding Giles.

He stood there, blushing, until the applause died down. "Thank you so _very _much, Buffy. Your kind words won't be forgotten." He shot her a look. She put on an innocent face. He rolled his eyes. "To the business at hand, then. I believe you've all had a chance to meet our newest arrivals?" There was a general assent from the group.

Giles turned to Leo and the sisters. "We're very grateful for your aid in this matter. I only regret that Cerephus managed to escape before the spell had a chance to affect him."

Paige pulled a face. "Actually, I think it _did_ affect him. At least a little."

Buffy sat up straighter in her seat. "A little? How little is a little?"

Paige shrugged, looking at Leo. "Not sure. But I could sense a drop in his power. It definitely wasn't as strong as it was when we first got there. Couldn't you feel it, Leo?"

"Yeah. His powers were partially bound. He might be at half strength, maybe a little more." There was a stir around the table at that remark, but Leo held a hand up. "But, I don't know how long it'll last. Given time, the spell will fade. And with the knowledge this guy has, he can probably figure out a way to break the spell quicker. We may not have a lot of time."

Buffy slumped back into her chair, pouting. "Swell. Just swell."

Leo gave her a sympathetic smile. "Sorry. Just calls 'em as I sees 'em."

Jack turned to Thor. "Thor, buddy, think you can find this guy with your scanners?"

"I have been searching since my arrival, O'Neill, but have been unable to locate the Goa'uld thus far. I will continue to scan, though."

Willow raised her hand. "Umm, so basically, the spell was working, right?"

Phoebe nodded. "Near as we can tell, yeah."

Willow rested her elbows on the table, obviously lost in thought. "So, it just needed longer, right? More time to take effect?"

The Charmed Ones looked at each other, then nodded. Phoebe turned back to Willow. "We think so anyway. More time, and maybe more power behind it. I'm not sure that even with the Power of Three that we can push it all the way past his defenses."

Willow looked questioningly at Dawn and Bethany, who both nodded. "We're in, Will."

Willow smiled her gratitude at them, then turned back to the sisters. "Power you've got. And I have an idea or two on how to keep him in one place long enough to zap his snaky butt. Err, once we find him again, that is..."

"The coven thinks they may have found a way to trace him when he teleports, but we have know way of testing it until he does it again," put in Giles. "We can get together later to work out the details of your power boost theory, Willow."

Giles stood up and cleared his throat. "I'm sure that by now you've all heard about Buffy's declaration of all out war against the Order of Sarrkahn and the Senior Partners. For the record, I am in complete agreement with her. It's high time we took the fight to the enemy. Waiting for them to come to us has cost us far too many of our friends and family. I can't necessarily speak for the rest of you, but I'm rather sick of it."

Faith spoke up. "Damn straight. We'll kick _all_ their asses!"

Giles smiled as a cheer went around the room. "Well, it seems we're all in agreement then. On that note, I believe Joyce had something she wished to tell us."

Joyce sighed and sat up straighter in her chair, obviously steeling herself for what she was about to say. "Several things, actually. Some of it concerns all of us, some of it doesn't. First off; Angel. Cordelia and Wesley are fine. They both made it up there. She was always meant to ascend, just not when that whole Jasmine fiasco took place. She told me to tell you she hopes you'll have better luck dealing with the visions than she did."

Both the Fang Gang and the Scoobies looked relieved at this information. "And Wes?"

Joyce grinned, if somewhat uncertainly. "Well, he's up there, but he's very busy. It seems Fred's soul wasn't destroyed after all..."

Illyria came away from where she'd been leaning against the wall. "That is not possible!"

"It shouldn't have been, no. But somebody, umm, intervened." Joyce cast a glance in Daniels direction.

"Oma? You're talking about Oma Desala, aren't you?" Daniel looked surprised.

"Yes. She thought she could save her. Fred's soul _should _have been destroyed, but Oma figured out a way to stop it. Something went wrong though, and though Fred's soul wasn't destroyed, it did get sort of lost." Joyce looked decidedly uncomfortable at the thought.

Angel was somewhere between overjoyed and enraged. "Lost? What do you mean, _lost_?"

"Her soul disappeared, vanished in transit. It's out there, somewhere, lost in the ether. Wes has been working non-stop trying to find her. One of the good things about being dead, I suppose. You never get tired." She looked Angel in the eye. "He'll find her."

Lorne slugged Angel in the shoulder, all grins. "You bet your sweet bippy he will!" Lorne broke out laughing. This was the best news he'd had since he'd gotten discount tickets to Barbara Streisand's last tour. Everyone that had known Fred was smiling, overjoyed at the news. Illyria just looked thoughtful.

Joyce turned to Giles. "Jenny says hello. And that she's glad you stopped being such a fuddy duddy." Giles sat there, a smile slowly creeping over his face.

Next, she turned to Willow. "Tara wanted you to know she's happy. She misses you, misses all her family, but she's very, very proud of all of you. Especially Willow and Spike. And Dawnie, she wanted you to know that she always knew there was something special about you, and that you would figure it out eventually." Kennedy wrapped an arm around Willow as she cried. Dawn and Buffy were sniffling as well. Even Spike was trying to hide the tear that was trying to sneak out.

Joyce turned to Xander next. "Anya made it too, Xander. She wanted you to know that she had already forgiven you for leaving her, and that she really did understand why you did what you did. She just hopes you'll find the happiness you deserve." Xander had a tear in his eye, but mostly he was overwhelmed by relief. He'd worried a lot about where Anya had ended up, so this came as good news.

Joyce took another breath, then continued. "I have a few other messages, but I'll save them for later. As you all are perfectly aware, the last few years have been pretty bad. There's been a huge increase in demon activity, not to mention the war with the Goa'uld and the Replicators. It's been one barely averted apocalypse after another. Not to mention Wolfram & Hart's ongoing apocalypse. Angel and his crew have certainly slowed that one down a bit, but unfortunately it wasn't enough to stop it."

Angel looked pained. "Could we actually have stopped it?"

Joyce gave an uncertain shrug. "I don't know. _They_ don't really know, I think," she said, casting a look skywards. "The Senior Partners have been working on this for millenia. It's almost become self-perpetuating. And the human race is unwittingly helping it along. And having the First taking a much more active role the last couple of years hasn't helped. Collapsing the Sunnydale Hellmouth slowed it down for a while, but the First has been showing signs of stirring recently."

"Oh, joy," mumbled Buffy. Joyce smiled and patted her arm.

Phoebe gestured uncertainly. "Umm, sorry, newcomer to the group and all, but who's this First you keep talking about?"

"The First Evil. The original source of all evil. Been around since the dawn of time. It's incorporeal, so it has to act through it's minions. Has a really nasty group of followers called the Harbingers, or Bringers. It can appear as any dead person, and it has the nasty habit of influencing people to get its way. About a year and a half ago, it decided to end the Slayer line and started killing off Watchers and potential Slayers. We only just barely stopped it from opening the Hellmouth and unleashing Hell on Earth," said Willow.

Phoebe and Piper traded glances. "But, we vanquished the Source. Twice."

Joyce grimaced. "Sorry, but that one was another of the First's flunkies. It had imbued an already powerful upper-level demon with some of it's own power."

"Like what it did with Caleb?" asked Buffy. Joyce nodded. Buffy cast a sympathetic look at the sisters. "That must have been a royal pain, then."

Phoebe nodded. "You have no idea." That battle, and what it had cost them, was a pain that would never go away. Paige and Piper each held one of her hands, sending her their love and support.

Joyce gave them a moment, then continued. "The sad truth is, it's going to get worse before it gets better. This is only the beginning. There are forces at work that haven't even begun to show their true extent yet. But here's the ray of sunshine; what you did, releasing all the Slayers? That was exactly what needed to be done. It set in motion a series of events that has led us here."

Joyce gestured around the room. "We have here several different groups that have been fighting the same war, but without ever knowing the full extent of what they were facing, or that there was help to be had close at hand. But now you all realise that you have allies, friends who will help to fight back the darkness that is coming."

She grinned, spreading her arms in an all encompassing gesture. "That just might make you guys the most powerful force for good that this world has ever seen."

There was some cheering at that. Buffy and Faith high fived each other, while Jack just sat there with a satisfied grin. Joyce took up her narrative again. "Now here's the thing. Somebody saw all this coming a long, lonnnnggg time ago. But I'll get to that in a bit. I need to give you all a little history first."

She settled into her chair, getting comfortable. "Several million years ago, the last of the Old Ones was finally driven out of this dimension. The rest had either been cast out, or were sleeping in the Deeper Well. That final war was horrific. Most of you are aware of the history of it. J.R.R. Tolkien chronicled it in his books."

Andrew came up out of his chair. "Wait a sec. Are you saying that Sauron was an Old One?" Nobody new 'The Lord of the Rings' better than Andrew. Except maybe Xander. Even Illyria was wearing a vaguely interested look. She remembered Sauron well. It wasn't a pleasant memory.

"Yup."

"One of the worst of us," put in Illyria.

"I'd often wondered about that," mumbled Methos. "Mithrandir never really said one way or the other..."

Piper was staring at Leo. "Did you know about any of this?" Leo gave her a sheepish look and nodded. She smacked him on the arm. "No wonder you sat through the movies critiquing every little thing!"

"Sorry..."

Joyce continued. "Anyway, the people that fought Sauron, the inhabitants of Middle-Earth, they were the ancestors of those that would eventually become the Ancients. Although they didn't actually call it Middle-Earth back then. This was a time when magic still held sway over the Earth, and even though the Old Ones were gone, there were still untold numbers of lesser demons roaming the world. This would be about the time that the Slayer Line was created. Why they chose to only have one Slayer at a time is beyond me, but anyway..."

"As time went by, magic became less common, and the sciences came to the fore. But unlike us, the Ancients never forgot the past. In their time, the Slayer was revered, and was supported every step of the way. Even through a two-hundred year long war to rid the Earth of the Goa'uld."

Carter sat forward like a hawk. "Whoa! The Goa'uld were here _that_ long ago?"

"Came from here, actually. They really _are _demons. They just got transplanted." Joyce laughed at the disbelief on Carter's and Daniel's faces. "The planet the Ancients put them on was completely uninhabited at the time. It was a couple of million years before a survey party landed there. They were soon taken by the Goa'uld, and you know what happened from there."

Jack nudged Carter. "And you said our lives couldn't get any weirder..."

"Shut up. Sir."

"Anyway," Joyce interrupted, "even though magic grew less common, it was always there to some extent. That's at least part of how the Ancients were able to use crystals as such a huge part of their science. Crystals have always been a means of harnessing power, and they found a way to anchor their science to that. The discovery of naquadah later on was the next step. Farther down the road, the fact that magic had always been in their lives aided many of the Ancients in ascending."

"After the Ancients left Earth, the second evolution of humanity began. There were still demons, and there was still a Slayer, but much of the ancient knowledge had been lost in a series of cataclysms. Most of what knowledge remained became myth, or legend, little more than stories told around campfires. The truth had to be rediscovered. Some learned the truth and accepted it for what it was. Most people though, will never accept it as more than myth. And that is why the world is in the state it's in. Humanity's non-belief has given the Darkness a foothold. The sad fact is that most people don't have any real faith anymore. So it falls to us to hold the line."

"Which brings me to this." She held her hand out, palm up, and a scroll appeared in a sparkle of white light. "This is a prophecy- stop rolling your eyes, Buffy- that has been around for a very long time. It was written shortly after the War of the Ring, by Galadriel herself, shortly before she went across the sea. Which, coincidentally, is about the same time that the First began working with the cult of the Wolf, the Ram and the Hart on their Apocalypse. The fact is, no one was sure exactly when this prophecy was supposed to happen, or who it referred to, but some of the events of recent years seem to fit, and we're pretty sure it's about all of you."

Joyce gently unrolled the ancient scroll and read it aloud in a soft voice.

_There shall come an age, long hence, when many Evils, both Ancient and New, shall arise to spread the Darkness once again. It shall be a time of many trials, for the world will have greatly changed, and Knowledge of the Light and of the Darkness shall reside with but a few. But lo! In this time there shall arise a new order of Champions, for the Chosen shall be Legion, and many powerful allies will they have. The Key and the Red Goddess; Immortal Warriors and Travelers of the Stars; the Three and the Progeny; The Two Old Ones; the Ensouled and more. They shall be Guardians of the Light, and their War against the Darkness shall become legend._

Joyce carefully rolled the scroll back up and handed it to Daniel, who looked like he was about ready to have kittens. "Questions? Comments?"

No one spoke for a bit. It was a lot to take in. Buffy finally spoke up. "'Guardians of the Light', huh? I like that."

Faith nodded, grinning. "Kinda catchy."

Willow was looking at the notes she had written. "Okay, I think I've got most of this figured out. Know who the Key is, that's an easy one, and the Immortal warriors. Pretty sure about the travelers over there," she cast a glance at the crew from the SGC and Thor. "The Three I'm guessing is the Charmed Ones. And the Ensouled isn't too hard to figure out. But what about the Red Goddess and The Two Old Ones? So far we've only got the one Old One, who's the other one? And what about The Progeny?"

"Yes, Illyria is one of the Two. The second has yet to be revealed, or the Progeny for that matter. As for the Red Goddess..." Joyce trailed off, looking at Willow expectantly.

Slowly, realisation dawned on the face of the young witch. "_Me_? How can they mean _me_? I'm not a goddess!"

"Been callin' you a goddess since Sunnydale, Red," Kennedy chirped.

"That's different! That's, er, uhhh..." Willow's blush threatened to become redder than her hair.

Joyce chuckled. "Honestly, I can't offer any more explanation than that. And the only one that could is keeping His mouth shut. All I can tell you is that you're on the right path."

Willow hunched down in her chair, arms crossed. "_mumble mumble _prophecies _mumble mumble _goddess _mumble_..."

Joyce smiled, then sobered. "I wish I could give you more details, but unfortunately, we'll just have to deal with things as they unfold. Fortunately though, we do have a seer with a direct link to the Powers That Be amongst us, so that should help."

Angel snorted. "For a while, at least." At the surprised looks that remark earned him, he tried to explain. "If the visions don't kill me, they'll eventually drive me insane. At least that's what happened in the alternate reality. Which may or may not have been the truth. But the pain isn't getting any better. Worse, if anything. Apparently, I'm still too human." He ignored Spike's muffled laughter.

Leo was searching his pockets. "... knew I was forgetting something..." He dug two rings out of his pocket, then handed one to Angel and the other to Spike. Both vampires stared at the rings in startled recognition.

Spike found his voice first. "Is this..."

"Yes. Those are the last two Gems of Amarra in existence. Whatever you do, don't lose them. Angel, with that, the visions won't be any worse than a bad headache."

The two vampires slid the rings on. Angel looked at Spike, grinning like an idiot. "All of a sudden, I have this urge to go to the beach."

Spike grinned. "Reckon a vampire can get a sunburn?"

Nina wrapped her arms around Angel. "I think we should find out," she said, smirking.

Dawn bounced in her seat. "Oooo, I _sooo_ foresee a trip to the beach in our future! Been wanting to try out that bikini I bought in Rome..."

Buffy shot Dawn a look. "That isn't a bikini. That's dental floss."

"You're just jealous 'cause it looked better on me than it did on you," Dawn said in a sing-song voice.

"I am not! And it so didn't!"

"Oh yes you are, and it so did."

"Not!"

They were interrupted by a loud thump. The thump being the noise Giles' head made when it came into contact with the table. With his head still resting on the table, he looked sideways at Joyce. "Only your daughters could turn a discussion of this gravity into an argument over who looks better wearing dental floss."

Joyce snorted. "Tell me about it."

Both the Summers girls had the good sense to look sheepish. Giles took a breath and sat up. "I'm sure that everyone has more questions, but I feel we've covered enough for today. Besides which, it's past lunch time and I'm famished. Anything else before we adjourn?"

Buffy, still staring daggers at Dawn, raised her hand. "Just one thing. It's something we've talked about before, but I just had a thought. We've been trying to get away from how the old Council did things and find our own way. And I think we're doing a damn good job of it, too. But we don't really know what to call ourselves. I mean, yeah, we've still got Watchers and Slayers, Immortals and Witches, even aliens now. Lots of different groups, each doing their own thing. But now that we've joined forces, I think we need to form a new council, with a new name." She paused, taking a breath.

"And I think we should call ourselves The Council of Guardians." She looked around the room. She could tell that they were thinking about it.

"Got my vote, B," said Faith. "Sounds a helluva lot better 'n 'Watchers Council'. Always made me think of a bunch of dirty old men doing the peeping Tom thing. 'Sides, I think I like the idea of bein' a Guardian." She leaned against Robin, rubbing her slightly bulging tummy absentmindedly.

Giles studied the group. It was obvious that they shared Faith's opinion. "Council of Guardians it is, then." Buffy beamed. "On that note, I do believe it's time for lunch." Giles gave Buffy a hug as the room began to empty. "Excellent choice, my dear. I think it says exactly what we want it to."

Dawn gave her sister a nudge as she walked past. "Better stop, Giles. Her head swells up any larger, it'll explode. Then we'll be picking up Buffy brains the rest of the afternoon."

"Oh, shut up, you. And you _sooo_ don't look better in that bikini than me..."

* * *

Chapter the Fourth

The next week and a half seemed to fly by. The preparations for Robin and Faith's wedding reached a fever pitch, and soon almost everyone was involved one way or another. Lorne called in some favors and soon had a band booked, but also a dj with a complete karaoke setup.

The attacks by the Sarrkahn had ended abruptly, much to the pleasure of all concerned, but everyone kept their guard up. They had too many enemies to make the mistake of thinking they were safe.

Cerephus, unfortunately, managed to stay under the radar. Dawn and Spike started a pool, taking bets as to when he would show up. Faith put twenty on him showing up in the middle of the wedding. ("Oh, come on Little D, when the Hell _else_ is that no good, slimy, snake-head sonofabitch gonna show up?")

Giles and Gunn, aided by Willow when she could get away from the wedding insanity, set about taking care of many of the legal tangles that the old Council had left behind.

Buffy managed to sneak away with Jack to Minnesota for a 'fishing trip' for a couple of days.There was very little actual fishing done. Daniel got a good laugh later when he overheard Jack on the phone griping to Buffy about the new bed that he'd had to order.

A large group outing was planned for the beach. Willow teleported the bunch of them to Tahiti. Buffy and Dawn drove everybody nuts asking which of them looked better in their new bikinis. Spike and Angel discovered that vampires could in fact get sunburned. Which, considering how truly pale they both were, meant two incredibly red vampires. And then came the peeling...

Paige gave Giles, Willow and Bethany the grand tour of Magic School. Willow was positively giddy. She had been invited to come back and teach, but she also hoped to further her knowledge of the craft, and improve her control of the subtler magycks. And she absolutely adored Wyatt and Chris.

Ira and Sheila Rosenburg finally started to come to terms with what was going on, and with Willow's part in all of it. Not to mention the fact that little Bunny was apparently a super-powered demon killer. They also came to realise just how little they had paid attention to their daughter's life. It hurt. After much discussion, they both offered their services in the academic department of the Council. Willow was thrilled at the active role they wanted to take. She just hoped it would last through all the weirdness they were sure to witness.

Jack managed to take Xander for a ride in an X-302. Andrew pouted for three days, until he got to go up and see the _Daniel Jackson_, Thor's newest ship. Xander's only complaint was that since he had lost his eye, he'd never be able to become a pilot. Joyce had thought about it long and hard, then went to talk to Xander in his room. The next morning, Xander came down to breakfast without his eyepatch. At everyones stunned expression, he'd simply smiled. "What? Never seen a guy enjoying the wonderfulness of stereoscopic vision before?" There hadn't been much to work with, but Joyce had managed to regenerate his eye. You couldn't knock the grin off Xander's face with dynamite.

Dawn had asked Spike to be her date to the wedding. Flattered as he was, he had turned her down, figuring that Robin wouldn't want him anywhere near him on his wedding day. Robin had gone to Spike after that and personally invited him. Once Spike had gotten over his speechlessness, he'd asked why. Robin stood there for a minute, pondering how to respond to that. "Because you've earned a chance. You're not the monster you were back then. You changed, not because some Gypsies forced you to, but because you _chose _to. You're a Champion, Spike. So for now, I'll give you the benefit of the doubt. But, if you ever slip, the last thing you'll see before you're blowing in the wind is my face."

Spike nodded, once. "Fair enough."

Oz turned up three days before the wedding and was invited to stay for the festivities. Willow had sent a message to him asking if the monks he was working with would be interested in training Nina to control the wolf. He had come to discuss the situation with Nina, but was thrilled to have the chance to catch up with all his old friends. He and Kennedy took an instant liking to each other, much to Willow's relief, and the three spent a great deal of time together.

On Thursday night, they held the rehearsal and had a huge dinner party afterward. A grand time was had by all. As the evening wore on, Buffy decided to go for a walk in the garden. As she came to the door, she bumped into Daniel, who was leaning against the doorframe looking out into the courtyard. "Sorry, Daniel. Didn't see you."

"'Salright. One of the many hazards of being invisible." Buffy snorted. "Where're you off to?"

"Just wanted to get some air. Care to escort a lady?"

Daniel stuck out his elbow, which Buffy promptly hooked her arm through. They meandered through the gardens, chatting about this and that, just enjoying the night air and each others company. They had become close friends in the short time they'd known each other, which was something of a concern to Jack. Not that he minded them being friends, he just worried about the stories they could tell each other.

As they came to Buffy's favorite bench, she was surprised to find Faith sitting there, feet propped up on the bench with her arms wrapped around her knees. They stopped next to the bench, and could both see the lost expression on Faith's face. Buffy touched her shoulder gently. "Hey, Faith. Something wrong?"

"Huh? Oh, hey B. Daniel." She'd been a million miles away and hadn't even noticed their approach.

Buffy, starting to worry, sat down next to Faith. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah. No. Maybe. Hell, I don't know." Buffy hadn't seen Faith this confused in a long time.

Daniel rested a hand on her other shoulder. "What is it, Faith?"

"I dunno... It's just... It all hit me a while ago, ya know? All of it. And it got me thinkin'. I'm happy. For the first time in my life, I'm really happy. I've got friends, real friends that care about me. I've got a man that loves me for who I am, not who he thinks he can make me be. And the babies..." She rested a hand on her belly, looking down at the bulge in wonder. "I have all this, and I'm happy."

She sighed heavily. "And I hafta wonder who the Hell am I to be so lucky? I don't deserve any of this. I'm just a worthless killer..."

"No! You are not!" Buffy turned Faith to face her. "The past is just that; the past. It's over. You made mistakes, sure, but we _all _screwed up pretty bad back then. Yes, you went over to the darkside for a while. But, Faith, we_ let _you. The signs were all there, but we were all so caught up in our own crap that we couldn't see you were drowning. Hell, I'm so thick that I let it happen again with Willow, and she made what you did look like a day at the fair! You got your second chance, Faith. You've earned the right to your happiness, so reach out and grab it!"

Faith was touched by what Buffy said, but still couldn't bring herself to think she'd ever earn her redemption. "I know it's my second chance, B. I just don't think I've earned it yet."

Daniel cleared his throat. "Faith, there's something a, um, friend of mine told me once that I think fits here. I was trying to make a decision, one of the hardest decisions I've ever had to make in my life, but this helped me to work past my self doubt and see the truth."

Faith wiped a sleeve across her eyes and nodded for him to continue. "There was more to her speech than this, but this is the part that really stuck with me. 'The success or failure of your deeds does not add up to the sum of your life. Your spirit cannot be weighed; judge yourself by the intention of your actions, and by the strength with which you faced the challenges that have stood in your way.'"

Daniel smiled and looked up at the starry sky, drawing both Faith's and Buffy's gaze upwards as well. "'The universe is vast, and we are _so _small. There is only one thing we can ever truly control; whether we are good, or evil.'" He looked Faith in the eye. "You made mistakes. Just means you're human. The fact that you made the mistakes isn't what matters, Faith. It's the fact that you faced up to those mistakes and set about making things right that matters. You have an infinite capacity for good in you Faith, and a boundless supply of love. You are a _good_ person, Faith."

Buffy smiled and drew Faith into a hug. "Just remember; you have a real family now, and you are loved. You have a long, happy life ahead of you Faith. You aren't the lost little girl you were any more."

Faith smiled as something long forgotten popped into her head. "'You think you know what's to come, what you are. You haven't even begun.'" She noticed Buffy staring at her, shocked. "What?"

"Where did you hear that?"

Faith had to think about that. "In prison. I was meditating one night. Had the _weirdest_ dream. You were in it, and I think that Tara chick was too. Maybe Red? Anyway, I think it was about-"

"The first Slayer."

"Is that who Mud Girl was? Damn. Talk about hair care issues. Anyway, I remember hearing Tara say that in the dream. Kinda stuck with me. Thought it had something to do with the whole redemption thing. Still do, actually."

Buffy smiled. "For you, it probably did. For me, I think it was about Dawn. The part that was majorly wiggins inducing was when Drac said the exact same thing to me a month or so later. Very freaksome."

"No doubt."

Daniel was looking back and forth between the Slayers. "Drac?"

They both grinned. "Dracula. Yes, he's real. Most of the legends about him are true, too. Even that irritating little habit he has of not staying dusted when you stake him."

"Wow."

"Tell me about it."

Daniel shook his head. "My life just keeps getting stranger every day..."

Faith grinned and slugged him in the shoulder. "And we've only just begun, Artifact-Boy."

They all laughed. Daniel stood up, rubbing his shoulder. "So... crisis of faith over?"

Faith laughed and hopped up from the bench. "Yeah. I think so. In fact..." She took Buffy and Daniel by the elbow and headed back in to the party and her family.

"...My future's so bright, I gotta wear shades!"

* * *

Chapter the Fifth

The day of the wedding brought a picture perfect day. Clear blue skies with only a hint of cloud, not too hot or cool, and just enough breeze to be pleasant. Which, as it had been decided to have the ceremony in the courtyard, was certainly of the good.

The previous day, Willow and the Charmed Ones had cast several powerful wards over the hotel and the area around, and General Hammond had arranged for the _Prometheus_ to take up synchronous orbit directly overhead. Thor had parked the _Daniel Jackson _in a slightly higher orbit where its sensors could continue scanning for any traces of Cerephus. They were as safe as they could make it. Everything was in order.

Inside the hotel, on the otherhand...

Jack had been up since dawn. Hadn't had much choice in the matter, as that's when Buffy's alarm went off and she proceeded to run around trying to get everything ready all at once, in spite of the fact that they still had over seven hours before the wedding. He had decided that discretion was the better part of valor, and pretended to sleep until she had finally taken her craziness down the hall to help Willow with whatever bridesmaid related crisis she was having. He had then calmly gotten up, showered, put on the much despised dress uniform, and gone down to meet Daniel for breakfast. When Teal'c arrived thirty minutes later with Ishta, the four of them had taken up comfortable seats in the lobby to observe the chaos going on around them.

Everybody's rooms were upstairs, but it seemed that they were all running back and forth through the lobby, looking for missing shoes or errant cumerbunds or God knows what else. Nina had by now earned the nickname 'Wedding Nazi', and was acting the part, charging around and barking out orders, reaming out the caterers over her cell phone at the same time that she was directing the florists where to go.

Angel came charging through, fresh back from the tailors and getting his tuxedo pants lengthened, grumbling non stop the whole time about needing to finish writing his toast.

Buffy came barreling through at one point looking for Dawn with her hair up in the largest curlers that Jack had ever seen while wearing sweatpants, an old UC Sunnydale t-shirt, and her pumps (she was still trying to break them in). Daniel, never without his faithful camera, had managed to snag some video footage. Jack foresaw some wonderful blackmail opportunities.

Lethbridge-Stewart had joined them after a bit, and he and Jack had struck up a conversation while continuing with the people watching. Turns out Alistair's father was a retired Brigadier-General, and had been in charge of a U.N.I.T. group for many years. When Jack had asked him if U.N.I.T. had really dealt with some of the weird things he'd heard rumors about, Lethbridge-Stewart rolled his eyes and grinned. "You have _no _idea..."

Just about then, Dawn had gone by arguing with Xander. "No, Xander, Spike will_ not _bite me just because I'm his date. He's a reformed vampire these days..."

Connor and Xander walked past on their way back upstairs. Connor was shaking his head. "I just don't see why you have to wear that ridiculous getup, dude..."

Xander stopped walking and started talking in his best teacher's voice. "It's simple. We're men. They're women. So we do many stupid and uncomfortable things for to make the women happy. Which often leads to the having of the sex. At which point we become happy men, and all is right in the world."

"Oooohhh... That actually makes sense..."

From somewhere upstairs, Faith could be heard yelling. "Morning sickness _sucks_!"

Leo joined Jack's little group. Jack looked Leo up and down, taking in his flustered expression. "The womenfolk chase ya outta the room, did they?" Leo just nodded. Jack grinned and handed him a beer (he'd come up with a cooler somewhere and was using it as a footrest). "Here. This seems to help..."

Nina was suddenly standing right in front of them, glaring. "Have any of _you_ seen the preacher?"

"No ma'am!"

With a muttered "Dammit!" she was off and running again.

Jack gave it a few seconds. "Okay, I think you're clear, padre." The preacher stuck his head out from behind the drape that was hiding him.

"Thanks."

"No problem..."

Ishta was still staring after Nina. "That woman would make a formidable warrior..."

Jack grinned and said, in his best imitation of Teal'c, "Indeed." Teal'c just raised an eyebrow.

A bit later General Hammond came in, carefully negotiating the minefield of wedding guests and members of the bridal party. And Clem. He nodded a greeting. "Jack."

Jack nodded back. "George. Care for a beer?"

Hammond glanced around at the chaos. "Don't mind if I do..."

Spike could be seen going out into the courtyard, lighting a cigarette. Two seconds later, he came dashing back inside, smoking. Him, not the cigarette. "Can't bloody believe I bloody well forgot to put the bloody ring on..."

Sam Carter came walking over with Pete, who couldn't take his eyes off Clem. Jack waved them to some empty seats. "Afternoon, campers. Taking notes, Sam?"

"Yeahsureyoubetcha. 'How _not _to have a wedding'. I may get another thesis out of this."

Jack handed them each a beer. "Here. We've decided this helps."

Pete, still staring at Clem, who was now chatting away happily with Thor, took a huge swig. "Hope you've got plenty..."

Joyce orbed in next to Leo, looking vexed. "Leo, we're basically angels, right?"

"Yeah."

"Good, kind-hearted souls, right?"

"Yup."

"So we're supposed to have that whole 'infinite supply of patience' thing going on right?"

"Uh huh."

Joyce grabbed Jack's beer and downed half of it, then handed it back to him as she cast an irritated look up the stairs. "Nuts." She disappeared in a cascade of white sparkles. Pete finished off his beer in one gulp. Daniel had another one waiting for him.

Spike (having retrieved his Gem of Amarra and successfully gone out and had a smoke without going up in flames) joined them. As Angel came down the stairs in his tux, Spike let out a wolf whistle. "Oi, looky here, if it ain't James Bond himself..."

"Shut up, Spike."

"Oh, c'mon Peaches, you're quite the fashion plate there. Whadda _you_ think, General?"

"Stylish, very stylish," Jack said, deadpan.

"Oh, be quiet. Is that beer?"

"Yup."

"Oh, thank God..."

Methos and Amanda went by, arguing. "Oh, come on. A gift is a gift, right?"

"I rather suspect that they might not appreciate it if the police were to show up searching for stolen property..."

"Pick pick pick..."

Dawn went stalking by, mumbling. "...gotta go get the damn bouquets, why couldn't somebody _else_ go get the damn bouquets, don't need the damn bouquets for another two damn hours, but nooooo..."

She stopped, fists on hips, and glared at Jack's little group. "And what, pray tell, are _you _staring at?"

They couldn't help themselves, really. Her hair was in curlers on one side, but not the other, her make-up was half done, she had on mismatched fuzzy slippers (one Snoopy, one Scooby to be precise), was wearing Tweety Bird shorts and a black tee shirt that said '**It's not my fault! Remember, I live in a world of bad examples**' across the front in huge pink letters.

Daniel spoke up. "Staring? What staring? We're not staring, right guys?" They all seemed to find their voices at once.

"Nope..."

"Certainly not..."

"Noooo..."

"What's to stare at?"

"Indeed I was not staring DawnSummers..."

"Wouldn't do that, Nibblet..."

"No staring here, nosirree..."

She shot them one last glare and went on her way. "... zap all their damn butts, that'll show 'em, get the stupid damn bouquets, oughta zap the damn bouquets too dammit..."

Jack waited until she was out of earshot. "Danny, tell me you got that on tape..."

"Yup."

"Sweet."

Vi came running up to Angel. "Angel, you really, _really_ need to come to the kitchen right now!"

"What's up?"

"I think Nina and the caterer are gonna kill each other!" She proceeded to drag Angel off.

"Think I'll go take in th' show." Spike grabbed another beer and followed after. He came back a minute later and sat back down, eyes huge. "On the other hand, maybe I'll just stay clear..."

"Probably safer," said Jack.

"Too bloody right," said Spike.

Giles came over and plopped into a chair. Jack held up a beer. Giles shook his head and pulled a flask out of his pocket and took a healthy swig. Putting the flask away, he looked at Jack and said "There are some things that beer simply isn't strong enough for."

Jack grinned. "Truer words..."

Jon meandered over and grabbed a beer, taking a long pull on the bottle. Noticing some of the stares he was getting, he quirked an eyebrow. "What? I'm over fifty, boys and girls. I can enjoy a beer if I want to." He wandered off to catch up with Thor.

Carter stared after him. "I will never, _ever_ get used to that..."

"Tell me about it," said Jack, rolling his eyes.

"Tell you about what?" said Buffy, who was suddenly standing beside him. Jack turned around, and was for once in his life speechless. Buffy stood there, silently daring him to make a sarcastic remark.

"Umm, nothing," Jack stammered. He was completely taken by how beautiful Buffy was. Her dress was a deep burgundy, off the shoulders and dipped low in the back. Her hair was swept up with a few curls framing her face. She was the most beautiful thing Jack had ever seen.

Spike stood up and gave her a peck on the cheek. "You look amazin' pet." She smiled at him gratefully. He squeezed her hand, then went off in search of Dawn.

Finally finding his voice again, Jack stood up and gave her a quick kiss. "Miss Summers, you are without a doubt the very essence of beauty. I do believe I might very well be the most fortunate man here." Buffy relaxed, smiling a terawatt smile that lit up the room.

"Why, thank you kind sir. Care to go for a walk?"

Jack presented his arm. "Delighted, Miss Summers." They walked out into the garden arm in arm, laughing and talking quietly.

Carter nudged Daniel. "Tell me you got that on tape..."

"Oh, yeah..."

Carter smiled evilly. "Good." _Oh, the mileage she could get out of that..._

With that, they all made their way out into the courtyard to be seated for the wedding. By now not even Pete was surprised at the sight of Lorne standing to one side of the podium, crooning out love songs.

But he was sure glad he'd grabbed that last beer...

* * *

_To be continued...

* * *

_

Notes: Finally got on a roll here, decided to break this into smaller parts. This story will be concluded in part IX. Or will be, if I can ever make up my mind what I'm gonna do about Cerephus. Arrgh! I'm itching to get to work on 'The Guardian Chronicles', but I'm still trying to come up with a satisfactory ending to this fic. Had this huge brawl with my muse. Not real sure who won, though...

I hope Master Tolkien will forgive me for messing with his works, but I've had the idea to tie together the three mythologies for a while now. I hope it goes over well.

I've brought so many characters, and so many elements from different fandoms into this fic, that I'm sure I'm making mistakes with the canon of some of them, and for that I apologise. But in the end, this is primarily BTVS-centric, so the others will just have to bend a little to fit.

Please review! Feedback is a wonderful thing...

_'To thee no star be dark...'_


	9. Chapter 9

Summary: The wedding! The reception! Travel to other worlds! Naked spell-casting! The final showdown! And somebody's gonna die...

Crossover: Highlander, Stargate SG-1, Charmed, LOTR

Notes: My fic 'Existence' ties in with what happens along about chapter nine. If you haven't read it, please do. It explains a few things. The second chapter should be up at the same time this fic is posted.

Disclaimer: I don't own it. You know I don't own it. And if you could see my bank statement, you'd know I'm not makin' any money on it, either. More's the pity...

* * *

DID SOMEBODY SAY SOMETHING ABOUT NOT FADING AWAY? PART IX

By screaminheathen69

* * *

Chapter the First

"Wow," said Dawn Summers as she peeked out the window at the crowd gathering in the courtyard. "That's a _lot_ of people." She looked over her shoulder at Faith. "Don't trip. With all those video cameras out there, it'll be immortalised for all time..."

"Shut up. Brat." Faith was pacing, nervous energy pouring off of her.

"...Funniest Home Videos, the Deluxe Slayer Edition..." Dawn continued in her best info-mercial salesperson voice.

"Dawn..."

"... Ooh, and here comes the bride, here comes the- whoops! Gosh, maybe the bride shoulda rethought that whole going commando thing..."

Faith cast a pleading look at Buffy, who promptly smacked her sister upside the head, then looked threateningly at Willow. Willow plastered on an innocent face, but just couldn't pull it off, what with the snorts of laughter.

Faith rolled her eyes. "With friends like these, who needs enemas..." Dawn started to make a comment, but Buffy and Willow both clamped hands over her mouth.

Faith went back to her pacing. "Geez, B, I can't believe how nervous I am! I mean, this is me, here. I don't _do _nervous..."

"What about when Kakistos came to town?"

"Okay, fine, one time, I'll give ya that..."

"Or when you came to my house on Christmas Eve?"

"Well, yeah..."

"Or then that one time-" She was ticking off points on her fingers by now.

"I get the point, B!"

"Sorry. Got ya to quit pacing though, didn't I?" Buffy said, smug grin firmly in place. Faith looked down at her now non-pacing feet, up at Buffy, then back down at her feet.

"Damn B. So ya did." She promptly commenced pacing again. Buffy groaned and glanced at the clock. "Ten more minutes. Just ten more minutes. We can hold out for another lousy ten minutes, Faith." She looked at Willow and mouthed 'I hope!'.

Buffy's nose scrunched up as a thought struck her. "You're not, are you?"

Faith glanced over at her. "What?"

"Going commando? I mean, just in case, ya know?" Faith glared daggers at her and went right on with her pacing. Buffy glanced at Willow and Dawn. Dawn, Willow's hand still clamped over her mouth, nodded vigorously, the smile lines evident around her eyes. Buffy cradled her head in her hands and sighed. "Hoo, boy..."

Dawn licked Willow's palm, finally getting the witch to release her. "She said something about wanting to get a 'rise' outta Robin when he went for the garter." She giggled as Willow disgustedly wiped her palm on her dress saying 'eeewww'.

"I thought that kinda 'rise' came later," said Buffy as she smirked at Faith. Faith smirked right back and waggled her eyebrows, never missing a step in her pacing.

"You know how it is, B. Gal's gotta get her fun when she can, right?"

* * *

Out in the courtyard, the ushers were quickly getting everyone seated. And an interesting group it was, too. Slayers and Watchers. Immortals and soldiers. Aliens and demons. Even a politician or three. Jack was fairly certain that if he took a picture and sent it in to Guinness, it would qualify as the weirdest bunch of wedding guests ever. Not to mention the bright green demon standing to one side belting out an old standard.

He stared over at Clem, Thor and Heimdall, hoping that Daniel would get the three of them on film. Heimdall had come with Thor, wanting to check up on Jack's mini-me clone Jon to ensure that the repair work that Thor had done on him was holding up. Heimdall had eagerly accepted the invitation to the wedding, his curiosity piqued at the thought of witnessing a human mating ritual. (He had been somewhat disappointed to learn that there wouldn't be any actual _mating _going on...)

Carter was pointing at the floral arrangements and whispering to Pete, whose eyes were steadily growing larger. Jack nudged Daniel. "How come Pete looks all shell-shocked?"

Daniel glanced at the individual in question and shrugged. "Looked pretty shell-shocked before we came out here. I think seeing Clem and Lorne might've finally broken him."

Jacob, who was sitting behind Jack, leaned forward and rested an arm on the back of Jack's chair. "She's talking about the flowers. I think she wants to hire Nina as her wedding consultant." He chuckled. "I think Pete's scared of her..."

Jack snorted. "The Wedding Nazi? Hell, _I'm_ scared of her."

"That whole were-wolf thing might have something to do with it too," Daniel said dryly. Even Teal'c had to agree with that.

* * *

Joyce plopped down in the chair next to Spike. Taking in her flustered expression, he wrapped an arm around her shoulder and gave her a sympathetic smile. "Somethin' wrong, luv?"

"I'm dead. You'd think that trying to get five girls ready for a wedding wouldn't tire me out quite so much."

"I'm dead too. Had lots of girls tire me out..." Joyce thumped him in the chest, rolling her eyes.

* * *

Illyria and Anise were sitting together near the back. Anise was studying the crowd, curiosity plain on her face. "I don't understand why the Tau'ri feel the need for all this ceremony. It makes no sense."

Illyria grunted. "There are very few things about humanity that make sense. Yet, the very things that seem to be the most illogical about them also seem to be what give them their greatest strength. It is... confusing."

Anise nodded, thoughtfully. "True. It still seems a waste, though..."

* * *

Leo, with Wyatt sitting quietly in his lap, wrapped an arm around Piper gave a gentle squeeze. "Y'know, maybe _we _should do this sometime."

Piper shot him a puzzled look. "Do what?"

Leo smiled. "Have a big wedding. We couldn't do it the first time. We could renew our vows, have a big reception, the works."

"Oooo, sounds like a good idea to me," said Phoebe, who was holding baby Chris. Chris was gurgling away happily at the faces Phoebe was making to keep him entertained.

Piper grinned. "It does have possibilities. Think we could get Thor to come to ours? I'd love to introduce him to Gramms."

Paige snorted. "Yeah, I can just see Gramms telling him to loosen up..."

* * *

Giles, who took his responsibilities as Best Man very seriously, was adjusting Robin's bow tie. "So. It's almost time. Sure you wouldn't prefer to skip off to the pub and have a few pints?" Robin just gave him a dry stare.

Xander laughed. "Trying to talk him into leaving a Slayer at the altar, Giles? What, you want to see him beaten to a bloody pulp?"

Giles pulled a thoughtful face, then sighed theatrically. "Oh, I suppose not. Just making sure he's aware of the alternatives, that's all."

Duncan chuckled. "Don't really think that's a realistic alternative, Giles." He was watching the courtyard through the door. "Looks like they're ready. Angel just gave me the high sign." Duncan had been honored when Robin had asked him to be one of his groomsmen. The two had become close friends over the past year.

The reverend, an old friend of Giles', faced the four men and smiled. "Ready, gentlemen? Good. Let's have at it then." The five of them donned identical sunglasses and marched out to the altar.

* * *

Dawn, standing by the door, giggled. "Good. They wore the sunglasses. Which means we can too," she said happily as she put on the aforementioned item.

Buffy dug out both hers and Faith's shades, then smiled gently at Dana. "Dana, sweetie, do you have your sunglasses?"

Dana looked confused for a moment, then smiled and put hers on as well. Faith and Willow had spent a great deal of time with her since she'd been brought to England, and had helped her tremendously. As time went on, they had found her to be a vibrant young woman, intelligent and quick-witted with a quirky sense of humor. She still had bouts of anxiety, and the odd spell when memories of other Slayers would overlap her own, but they were growing increasingly rare. Faith and Willow had sort of adopted her, made her the little sister they never had, and they seemed to steady her, giving her an anchor to this reality.

Dana had wanted very much to be involved in the wedding, and had joyously accepted when Faith asked her to be her 'Flower Slayer'. So, when the string quartet began playing Vivaldi's 'Spring', she slowly made her way down the aisle, carefully spreading rose petals and wearing a beatific grin.

Angel watched her go, a little smile playing over his face. "She's come a long way. You guys have done wonders."

Willow, smiling happily, nodded. "Miracle workers, that's us." She nudged Dawn. "Your turn, Dawnie."

As Dawn, Willow and Buffy did the Bridesmaids walk down the aisle, Angel turned to Faith and smiled. "So. You ready to go do this?"

Faith took a deep, calming breath and nodded. "Never been more ready for anything in my whole life." She looked up at Angel, then drew him into a hug. "Thanks, Fang."

"For what?"

"Oh, you know, pretty much everything. I wouldn't be here if you hadn't believed in me. You gave me back my life."

Angel chuckled. "And now I'm gonna give you away."

Faith laughed as she let go of him. "Yeah. Kinda poetic, huh?"

He gave her a lopsided grin. "More of a relief than anything..." She punched his shoulder, but couldn't wipe off the huge grin she was wearing. He rubbed his shoulder, then held out his arm. "Shall we?"

Faith hooked her arm through his and squared her shoulders. "We shall!" And, as the string quartet began the Bridal March, they marched slowly down the aisle, Faith wearing a smile so bright it put the afternoon sun to shame.

_This_, she thought to herself happily, _this_ _is a good day_...

* * *

Later, as the recessional music played and the happy couple made their way back up the aisle, Illyria handed the now blubbering Anise a hanky to blow her nose with.

* * *

Chapter the Second

"...Ladies and gentlemen, I'd like to present to you for the first time, Mr. and Mrs. Robin Wood!" The assembled group broke into thunderous applause as Faith and Robin made their grand entrance into the reception hall, to the tune of The Black Eyed Peas' 'Let's get it started'.

As the bridal party found their seats and the crowd grew quiet, Lorne handed Faith a microphone. "Hey, kiddies, I just wanted to say somethin' real quick before we dive into the buffet lines-"

"It's about time! Gettin' hungry in here!" Laughter bubbled up at the interruption from the back of the room.

Faith squinted at the not-so-well-hidden girl. "Just for that, Vi, you can go last." Ignoring Vi's groan, Faith went on. "I just wanted to say thanks to all of you. I never really figured I'd get a day like this. Hell, I'm pretty sure none of us ever figured I'd get a day like this-"

"No, really?" someone hollered from off to one side.

"-but here we are. I don't wanna jinx us, but so far, it's been great, and the rest of the night's gonna be great too. So, let's commence with the merry-makin'!"

Faith hadn't even finished speaking when there was a veritable stampede of Slayers to the buffet tables. Faith stared at them wide-eyed. "Guess it's a good thing we ordered in lotsa extra food, huh?" Robin just nodded, speechless.

An hour later, when even the Slayer contingent was full, Giles gave a heartfelt toast that drew tears from more than a few eyes. As glasses were refilled, Buffy took the mike and cleared her throat. "Ho-kay. My turn. Not sure I can do a non-leadery speech, but here goes. Once upon a time, there was this tough chick named Faith. She showed up in Sunnydale all big 'n bad, looking to kick some demon butt, and Synchronised Slaying was born. It was great having another Slayer around. Even if she did occasionally rub some people the wrong way. Or the right way, as the case may be..." Buffy gave Xander an exagerrated look, garnering several laughs.

"There was a bad spell in the middle there, but we won't go into that except to say she got better. And I got a sister back. Faith, you've turned into a Helluva woman, and I can't tell you how happy I am to have you back in my life. And I can't begin to describe how wonderful it is to see the two of you together, and happy, and I know that you'll be incredible together, and incredible parents to your kids."

Buffy raised her glass. "So here's to Faith and Robin; Faith, who's the second biggest pain in the ass I know, and Robin, the poor schmuck who has to deal with her for the rest of his life!"

As glasses were drained amidst much laughter, Faith drew Buffy into a hug. "I'm second? Who's first?" Buffy just cast a glance in Spike's direction and raised an eyebrow. Faith laughed. "Okay, can't argue with that."

The happy couple danced their first dance to 'I'll stand by you' by The Pretenders. The bouquet toss was done to 'Girls just wanna have fun', and the DJ played a brassy old stripper fanfare for the garter removal and toss. (When Robin came out from under Faith's gown, garter clenched in his teeth, he was wearing a pronounced smirk.) Once the cutting of the cake was out of the way, the party started in earnest, and ran into the wee hours.

Faith, with Buffy, Dawn and Willow backing her, sang a raucous cover of Timbuk 3's 'The future's so bright, I gotta wear shades'. While wearing shades, of course. Robin, not to be out done, got Xander, Lorne and Andrew to back him as he sang George Michael's 'Faith'. Faith was in stitches by the time he finished dancing around on stage.

Jack was treated to the sight of Thor in the conga line that formed when the DJ played 'The Locomotion'. He'd grabbed Daniel's camera to make sure that he had _that_ on tape, before being dragged into the line by Buffy. Daniel had been in the process of trying to explain a conga line to Heimdall. Later on, both Asgard were utterly fascinated with the strange rituals of the 'chicken dance'and the 'hokey-pokey'.

Giles and Lorne took turns singing off and on thoughout the night, even doing a couple of duets, recieving standing ovations each time. Duncan's wife Kate sang an old Scottish ballad that went over quite well, and even had a few people wiping away an errant tear or two.

Connor found himself to be very popular amongst the Slayers, and found himself with a new partner for almost every song. Gunn spent most of the night dancing with Anne. She was going back to LA in a few days, and he found himself not wanting her to go.

* * *

Buffy spent most of the evening dancing with Jack, although they both had a few dances with others. At one point, Angel asked if he could cut in with Buffy. Jack grinned and bowed to Nina. "If the lovely lady would be willing to let me step on her toes for a while, then I suppose I wouldn't mind." Nina had returned the bow, and the two promptly swept off onto the floor. Jack, despite his statements to the contrary, was actually an excellent dancer.

Angel and Buffy stood there awkwardly for a moment, then laughed and started dancing. She rested her head against his chest as they swayed to the music. "Good day, huh?"

Angel grinned. "The best. God knows we all had a good day coming to us."

Buffy smiled as she watched Jack and Nina, who were laughing as they waltzed animatedly around the dance floor. "I like her. She's good for you."

"I know. Kinda had the feeling she could deal with the weirdness that is my life when she didn't freak out when I got all Muppet-y. Just shrugged it off and went to breakfast with me."

"Awww, it was just 'cause you were such a _cute_ Muppet."

"I was _not_ cute..." The whole puppet incident was still a sore subject, especially since Spike and Dawn had run off a batch of poster-sized copies of one of Spike's pictures and distributed them liberally to all and sundry. It was very popular amongst many of the younger Slayers. Buffy and Faith both had a copy hanging on their doors.

"Cute, cuddly, just _ever _so precious what with the little leather jacket..."

"_Grrrrrrr..._"

"Okay, fine, shutting up now."

"Thank you."

"... But you were just so _cute_!"

* * *

Spike was standing at the bar, happily sipping a pint. _One good thing about bein' back in the mother country, a bloke can get a _real _drink... _Dawn had headed off to the ladies room (With several other girls. Spike, like pretty much the entire male gender, would never understand why women always have to go to the restroom in groups. What the Hell is up with that, anyway?), so he was taking the opportunity to down a pint or three, and people-watching.

Halfway into his second, he sensed somebody standing behind him. He glanced over his shoulder, did a double-take, then forced the fear that came bubbling up back down. "Hullo, Dana. Nice to see you out 'n about."

Dana stood there, uncertain. "Spike." Her gaze was drawn to Spike's forearms, and her face pinched up as the memory of that night pushed its way to the front of her mind. "Sorry," she muttered so quietly the vampire could barely hear her.

"My arms, y' mean? No worries there, pet. The docs fixed 'em up good as new. See?" He flexed his arms like a bodybuilder, looking silly and earning a little smile for his effort. "'Sides, you've nothin' to be sorry for. Weren't yourself, were you? Had a few loose wires in the old bulb myself for a while there, know what it's like." He shrugged. "Had a lot worse comin' to me than that, anyway."

"Still." She was studying her shoes intently.

"It's all right, luv. Apology accepted." He smiled at the happy grin that lit up Dana's face. "So, where's your date?"

"Um, no date. Here with Willow and Kennedy. Still not, um, comfortable around guys yet."

Spike affected a shocked look. "No date? Gorgeous young lady such as yourself, and no date? Well, that's just not right! You should be dancing the night away with some dashing young Prince Charming." Dana shrugged. Spike gently took her hand. "Tell ya what, pet. If you think you'd like to have a dance, you just come find me. I'm sure Dawn'll forgive me a dance or two with you. Right?"

Dana nodded somewhat uncertainly, then smiled and went off to find Willow. Dawn, who had overheard most of the conversation, hugged Spike from behind. "You big softy."

"Girl has the chance to work past the monster. If I c'n help, even a little bit, then I'm gonna make damn sure I do. I'm responsible for at least a few of her nightmares." He shrugged. "Least I can do."

Dawn smirked and gave him a peck on the cheek. "Like I said; you big softy. C'mon, I feel the need to dance..."

Later, Dawn looked on happily as Spike and Dana waltzed their way around the dance floor, the young Slayer's smile lighting up the room.

* * *

Angel found Lorne sitting off in a dark corner, people watching and sipping a Sea-Breeze. Lorne nodded for him to sit down. "So. Get any good readings tonight?"

Lorne smiled. "Some good, some not so good, some that I don't have a clue what to make of."

At the worried look that crossed Angel's face, Lorne chuckled. "Don't worry about the happy couple. As long as they remember how much they love each other, I see nothin' but good things for them."

"Good."

Lorne waved his hand around vaguely. "The thing is, everyone here, all their destinies are intertwined. They were all meant to find each other. At some point, they'll all be needed to stop the Darkness that's coming. I only get the odd glimpse here and there, but there are things coming that'll make the last few years seem like a merry jaunt in the park."

"Swell."

"Yeah." Lorne waved at Sam and Pete as they went dancing by. "Don't see things ending well for those two."

Angel looked after the seemingly happy couple. "Really? They seem to be doing pretty well."

"Seems that way, doesn't it? Problem is, she's still in love with someone else. Who's in love with her. And since neither of them can admit their feelings publicly, they're both keeping it buried. Cryin' shame, too. They'd be perfect together."

Lorne was staring at somebody throughout the conversation. Angel followed his gaze and realised it was Willow. "Something up with Willow?"

Lorne sighed heavily. "She may have the brightest future of anybody in the place. But the road she's gonna have to travel to get there..." Lorne shook his head sadly and finished off his drink. He _really_ didn't want to think about it...

* * *

The last song of the night was 'Into the Mystic' by Van Morrison. The floor was packed. Even Dana had a partner, having been asked by Xander. It was a perfect end to a perfect day, something Buffy would have never believed possible. No demon attacks, no crises of any kind, just a good time had by all.

Buffy rested her cheek against Jack's chest, watching Faith and Robin as they swayed slowly to the music, completely lost in each other. She was happy. Happy for Faith. Happy for Robin. For Dana. For everybody in the place, and just happy in general. "A girl could get used to this."

Jack planted a kiss on the top of her head. "Get used to what?"

"Having a nice day. Seeing everybody happy. Being in the arms of somebody you care about. Life being non-angsty for a while."

"Hmmm. You're right. A girl could get used to this," he said, batting his eyelashes at her. Buffy chuckled and thumped his chest, then went back to swaying contentedly.

The world would come crashing back in. It always does. But for one day, this perfect day, all was right with the world.

* * *

Chapter the Third

Two days later, all those not on their honeymoon in Tahiti went back to work. (A day had been allowed for hangover recovery. Much to rather a large number of people's gratitude.) Jack and his crew headed back to Colorado, and the Charmed Ones back to San Francisco, each to deal with their own crisis of the week.

Buffy and Giles set things in motion to start hunting down the Order of Sarrkahn, and figured they might as well go after the Order of Tarraka while they were at it. A dead demon assassin is a good demon assassin, right?

With the aid of Paige and the library at Magic School, Willow and Bethany went into full research mode, trying to find ways to not only find and defeat Cerephus, but to take down the Senior Partners as well.

Gunn sank himself gladly into the job of making the Council of Guardians official. There were an unbelievable number of niggly little details in transferring the assets from the old Watcher's Council over. Before he did though, he took Anne back to LA, along with a large contingent of Slayers and Lethbridge-Stewart. The Hyperion was gone, so a new base of operations had to be established, and Anne didn't want to be away from the shelters any longer than she had too.

Angel went with Nina and Oz to Tibet, staying there for two weeks to help Nina get settled in. The monks insisted that he leave after that, though, feeling that his continued presence would be too distracting for her. He went back to England and threw himself into researching the Senior Partners and helping train Slayers.

Rhona went back to Cleveland and the Hellmouth. It was getting rumbly, as Hellmouths will, and reinforcements were soon sent to Cleveland.

Joyce was kept busy, running all over the world to heal injured Slayers, Watchers and witches. She loved her new job, honestly she did, but she still grumbled with great regularity about being the only White-Lighter attached to the Guardians.

Dawn found herself a new training partner in Illyria. The ex-God-king could give just as good as she took, and they both found their sparring matches exhilarating. Spike was having the time of his un-life watching them. After the third time that they destroyed the training room, however, Giles insisted that they find somewhere else to beat up on each other. Preferably somewhere very, very isolated.

* * *

One month went by with no sign of Cerephus, then two. Buffy had grown into an irritable mess. She really, _really_ wanted to take this guy down.

As August ended and September rolled in, the senior Slayer grew increasingly short fused, going off over the smallest things. Dawn, after being the recipient of one of Buffy's tantrums, decided it was time to do something about it.

Something decisive.

Something sure to cure a cranky Buffy.

She did the only thing she could do.

She called Jack.

* * *

Buffy was grumbling as she walked into her office. Seemed she was grumbling a lot, these days. At the sight of Jack O'Neill sitting in her chair, feet propped up on her desk, she stopped in her tracks. "What are _you_ doing here?"

Jack raised a sarcastic eyebrow. (Yeah, I know; 'How can an eyebrow be sarcastic?' If you've ever seen the show, you know as well as I do that Jack can make _anything_ sarcastic.) "Well, I had a coupla weeks leave, had this silly notion, thought maybe I'd pop on over here to merry ol' England and sweep you off on a holiday, but now I'm not so sure."

Buffy stood there, mouth opening and closing, for almost a full minute before finally finding her voice. "_Holiday_? You're kidding, right? With everything that's going on, you want me to take a _vacation_?"

"Yup."

"You're nuts!"

Jack gave an amiable shrug. "It's been said. Not the point, though. You, my dear Miss Summers, need a break. And from what I hear, everyone around you needs a break, too. You _can_ take some time for yourself, Buffy. You're not the only Slayer, not anymore."

"Yeah, but-"

"There're other people here to train the Slayers, right?"

"Yeah, but-"

"And the hunt for the bad guys is certainly able to go on without your continued, apparently overbearing presence, right?"

"Well, sure, but-"

"So, I'm gonna tell you what some colleagues of mine recently told me: Get outta here! Take a break! You're not doing anybody any good running yourself ragged like this."

Buffy stood there and fumed, then visibly deflated. "Have I really been _that_ bad?"

"So my independent sources tell me."

"Dawn called, huh?"

"I'm not at liberty to discuss that, ma'am."

"I'll take that as a yes." She sighed. "You're right. I'm Cranky-Buffy again. Time for the easing of the tensions for this Slayer." She walked over and flopped into Jack's lap. "So, flyboy, where ya gonna take me to ease my tensions?" She waggled her eyebrows and gave a little shimmy as she asked.

"Well, there's this lake..."

"Oooh, your cabin. I did like it there."

"Um, not that lake." Jack was smirking.

"Oh? What lake, then?"

"Just pack up to go camping. You're gonna love it, I promise." Buffy gave him an uncertain look, but went off to pack.

Two hours later, they were standing in front of the shimmering event horizon of the Stagate. Buffy turned to Jack, bemused. "Just how far away is this lake, anyhow?"

Jack shrugged. "Six hundred n' forty lightyears. Plus about five clicks south of the Alpha-Site." The grin he was sporting could only be described as self-satisfied. Buffy smirked right back, gave a jaunty wave to the crew in the control room, and back-flipped through the Gate. Once Jack picked his jaw up off the floor, he followed, shaking his head and chuckling. "Gonna be an interesting vacation..."

Twelve days later, Jack and a _very_ relaxed Buffy returned to the SGC. They both would gladly have spent the remaining two days of Jack's leave off-world, but they both wanted to be there to see the first Slayer SG team off. Christened SG-30 under the command of Lt. Jennifer Hailey, they and SG-1 were going to Chulak to meet with the Jaffa women who had been tentatively identified as Slayers, and to see if they could find any more. Your basic 'getting your feet wet' type of mission.

Buffy was surprised to see Dawn and Willow standing at the base of the ramp. She hugged them both. "Not that I'm not glad to see you two, but why are you here?"

"Moral support for Jenny and the girls," Willow said, just a little too brightly. Buffy stared at her disbelievingly. Willow gave her an indignant look. "No, really." Dawn nodded, grinning toothily.

Buffy looked at Jack, who was standing next to Teal'c and Lt. Hailey. "I think they just wanted to make sure I wasn't grumpy-Buffy anymore." Jack just smiled, refusing to be baited into the middle of anything.

"Now, why would we be worried about that? Jenny's been through the 'Gate lotsa times, but the other girls haven't. Moral support," Dawn said, waving a hand for emphasis.

Willow nodded. "Yup. What she said."

Buffy quirked an eyebrow. "Uh huh."

Dawn rolled her eyes. "Okay, fine. We figured if Jack hadn't helped you to find your inner happy that we'd take you to Vegas, get ya all drunked up and get you laid. All right?"

Buffy chose to ignore the not so muffled snorts of laughter coming from behind her. Especially the ones coming from Carter. "Vegas? You'd take me to Vegas for _that_?" She paused for a second. "Besides, I'd much rather go to Paris. Better class of gigolo there."

She threw a smile at her sister and Willow, who were momentarily speechless, and turned to SG's 1 and 30. "Jenny, you reckon you can keep these gals reined in?"

Lt. Hailey smiled. "Absolutely. We get along just fine. They're gonna love Gate travel." Hailey had adjusted to her Slayer status quickly. She had opted to remain with the SGC, but had volunteered to help out with the Slayer related missions as well.

Vi, one of the other three members of SG-30, didn't look so sure. "I still have a problem with that whole 'molecularly disassembled' thing. That just _has_ to hurt." She tugged nervously on the straps of her pack, trying to get used to all the extra equipment the SGC insisted they carry on off-world missions.

Buffy gave her a quick hug. "Piece of cake, sweetie. Kind of a rush, actually. Wish I was going with you, I'd love to see Teal'c's homeworld."

Teal'c smiled one of those small Teal'c smiles. "Indeed, you would be most welcome on Chulak, BuffySummers. I would be pleased to be your host, should the opportunity arise for you to visit."

"Thanks, big guy. I'll hafta take you up on that one of these days." Buffy turned to Carter. "Sam, take care of my girls."

Carter nodded, smiling. "You know I will, Buffy."

Brittany, who had fought alongside Buffy at the Temple of D'arrsinog'auphous against Glory, now the third member of SG-30, spoke up. "Oh, quit worrying Vi. This trip to Chulak'll be a milk run anyway. No prob."

Everybody in the room groaned. Brittany looked around in confusion. Andrea Zolman, Watcher, medic, and fourth member of the team, rubbed a hand tiredly over her eyes. "She just totally jinxed us, didn't she?"

"Ooooh, yeah," said Jack wearily. "Y'all did make sure you had your affairs in order, right? Insurance forms all filled out? Next-of-kin info up to date?" Buffy smacked him in the arm. "What? I'm just sayin'..."

* * *

Chapter the Fourth

After spending the final two days of Jack's leave at his cabin in Minnesota ( They'd invited along Willow and Dawn. Jack finally gave up trying to fish after getting a hook stuck in his finger for the third time. Having the three women lounging around in their fairly skimpy swim attire was just too damn distracting.), Buffy got back to work, happy and smiling. Much to the relief of all those around her. Even the fact that they were still unable to find Cerephus wasn't enough to detract from her good mood.

By now, the orders of Sarrkahn and Tarraka were mostly decimated, and the demon population as a whole was laying low. The Cleveland Hellmouth seemed to have quieted down, but the Guardians in residence were keeping a watchful eye on things. Even the Senior Partners hadn't been heard from in a while, and the attempts against Angel and his crew had tapered off. Angel was positively twitchy about that, though, and was steeling himself, waiting for the other shoe to drop. One of those big ol' -steel-toed-mud-covered-clod-hopper-ugly-assed-shoes.

Faith kept herself busy helping out with training, but the lack of action was starting to get to her. That and the fact that everybody in the place seemed to feel the need to rub the ever growing bulge of her tummy. She took to spending a lot of time in either Buffy or Willow's offices, catching up on all the latest gossip-err, the latest goings on in the war against evil. Yeah. That sounds better...

And so it was, one afternoon in late September, that she and Buffy were sitting in Buffy's office, feet propped up on the desk, having a chocolate fest. (The chocolate fests were coming pretty regularly these days. Faith would get a wicked craving, and Buffy, good friend that she was, made sure to keep a healthy stash in her desk.) They were chit-chatting about the drapes Robin had picked out for the nursery, when Paige and Willow orbed into the room.

Buffy, taken by surprise, eeped loudly and went over backwards in her chair. Faith burst out laughing.

Willow, eyes wide, ran around the desk to help Buffy up. "Sorry, sorry, sorry! We didn't mean to surprise you like that!"

Buffy, gathering the shreds of her dignity, stood up and smoothed the wrinkles from her blouse. "S'alright, Will. Just wasn't expecting you. Shut up, Faith."

"Sorry, B." _snort_ "You shoulda _snicker_ seen your face, though." _snurt _Faith waved her hands and pulled a face, imitating Buffy, causing Willow and Paige to start laughing.

Buffy shot them all a dirty look. "Fine. I'll just be putting the chocolate away now..."

Willow quickly clamped her hands over the other two's mouths. "Now, let's not be hasty!" Paige shook her head no, too.

Buffy set her chair upright and carefully sat down. "We'll see. So, what was so urgent that you two had to pop in and interrupt the Choco-Fest?"

Paige grinned and help up an old book. "We found it!"

"Found what?"

"A way to find Cerephus!"

Buffy sat there, speechless, for almost a minute. Then, smiling, she threw a chocolate bar to each of the witches and stood up. "Good job. Let's get Giles in here."

* * *

"I do believe this will work. Well done, both of you." Giles had his nose buried in the ancient text Paige and Willow had found at Magic School. The two witches high-fived each other.

"The only problem I can see, so far anyway, is that to do the spell we need an Orb of Xanthea." He closed the book gently and looked up at the people gathered in the room. "_I_ don't have one. I don't suppose you have?" he asked Paige hopefully.

"Nope. Already checked. And nobody at Magic School knows where to find one, either. Apparently, they're even rarer than Orbs of Thessala. I've got some people looking, though."

Angel sat there with a thoughtful expression. He and Gunn had been with Giles when the Watcher had gotten Buffy's excited call, and had tagged along out of curiosity. "Rare, huh?"

Paige nodded. "Yup."

Angel cast a sly glance at Gunn. "So, probably valuable then, too." Gunn smiled as he got Angel's drift.

Paige, on the other hand, didn't. "Well, yeah, I suppose. So what? You figure we'll hafta pay a lot if we find one, is that it?"

"Maybe, maybe not. We know somebody that's, um, talented at finding rare and valuable things. Only problem is, I haven't seen her in a while. I'm not sure how to get ahold of her anymore."

Gunn chuckled. "I''ve got this, bro." He pulled out his cell-phone and hit speed-dial-5. "Yo, Electro-Girl, how ya been?"

* * *

Chapter the Fifth

Two weeks later, Gwen Raiden arrived with not one, but two Orbs of Xanthea. When asked where she'd managed to find them, she'd just smiled slyly and informed them that it was better if they didn't ask.

After giving the orbs to Giles, she hugged Gunn. "Hey, Charlie-Boy. Long time no see."

"Too long, Gwennie, too long. Lookin' good, girl. I take it your anti-zapper-chip still works?"

Gwen planted a lingering kiss on his lips. "You ain't dead, are ya?"

"Good point."

Giles carefully set the orbs in a box and closed the lid. "We can't thank you enough for finding these for us Miss Raiden."

"No problem. It was fun."

Giles smiled. "Yes. Quite. We will, of course, pay for them. I don't believe a fee had been discussed, but..."

"No fee." Gwen started laughing at the shocked faces of Gunn and Angel. "No, seriously, no charge. If this Cerephus guy is half as bad as Gunn made him out to be, then I'm glad to help."

Angel gave her an appraising stare. "Really?"

"What, a girl can't do a good deed once in a while?"

"Sure. I guess."

Gwen rolled her eyes. "Okay, fine, so there is this one favor..."

Angel smirked. "Thought so."

"Oh, shut up." Gwen turned to Willow. "Charlie tells me your pretty much the big brain around here, uber-witch and science girl all rolled into one, right?"

"Well, yeah," Willow said nervously.

"I was wondering if you could take a look at my chip. It's still working fine, but since it's a government prototype, I kinda gotta figure it's not gonna last forever, ya know? Thought it'd be nice if I could figure out how long I've got before it quits on me. Don't wanna find out the hard way."

Gunn nodded sympathetically. "Damn straight. The hard way usually involves me winding up dead."

Gwen smacked him on the arm. "Geez, kill a guy one time, you never hear the end of it."

"Dying tends to leave an impression on a guy," said Gunn. Angel and Buffy both voiced their agreement with that sentiment.

Willow's eyes lit up at the thought of tinkering with the technology of Gwen's chip. "I'd be glad to! Oh! We could get Sam to take a look at it, too. She knows a lot more about that kind of government tech than I do. Maybe we can figure a way to make it permanent. Maybe a magical power source, or maybe some naquadah. Oooh! Magically enhanced naquadah! I wonder-"

Seeing Giles' eyes starting to glaze over, Buffy put a hand over Willow's mouth. "Techno-babble later, Will. Bad-guy-finding spell now, okay?" Willow nodded. Buffy turned to Giles and Paige. "You guys have everything ready?"

"Yes. Bethany is preparing a room for the spell as we speak. As soon as Willow, Paige and myself join her, we'll begin the spell at once. I would suggest getting a strike team together. Once we locate him, we may not have much time. In all likelihood, he'll be aware of the spell as soon as it locates him. We shall have to move very quickly."

"Okay. The _Prometheus_ is away on a mission, so we'll have to either teleport or orb. You two gonna be up to that after doing the spell?"

Willow looked at Paige, who shrugged. "Should be. It's not a terribly draining spell, just complicated."

Buffy nodded, thinking. "All right. Angel, go get Jon and Xander and round up a team."

Angel stood up, already thinking about how to fill out the strike force. "Okay. You want Dawn?"

Buffy snorted. "Like I could keep her from going even if I wanted to. Connor already left to go back to school, right?" Angel nodded. "Okay, see if Illyria'd like to go, we could probably use the extra muscle. Round out the team with whoever you guys think we need." Angel nodded and took off to get things moving.

Buffy turned back to Giles. "So. Anything I can do to help with the spell?"

"Umm. No. Not really. Perhaps make sure that we're not interrupted..." Giles looked positively sheepish. Buffy noticed that Paige and Willow were blushing as well.

"Something you're not telling me, guys?"

"Well, err, no, it's just... ummm..." Giles stuttered.

Willow took a deep breath and looked Buffy in the eye. "The spell requires that those casting it be sky-clad."

"Sky-clad?" Buffy asked, confused, then comprehension slowly dawned. "Oh. _Sky-clad_." Buffy turned away from her friend, trying to supress the chuckle that was fighting it's way up, and seeing that Gunn and Gwen were having the same problem. "ooookay." _snort _"Umm, hey, why don't we go see how Angel's coming with that whole getting everybody ready thing!" _snort _The three managed to hold the laughter in until they were in the hall. Just.

Giles rolled his eyes at the sound of the guffaws coming from the hall. Willow dug a ten out of her pocket and handed it to Paige. "What was that for?" asked Giles.

"I bet Paige that when Buffy found out about that part of the spell that she'd make some lame sex joke. She bet me that Buffy'd just laugh her butt off. I lost."

Giles took off his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose. "We are so very, very doomed."

* * *

Chapter the Sixth

Cerephus wasn't a happy camper these days. Oh, he was back to full power. Solved that problem inside of two weeks. But it was becoming increasingly difficult to stay under the radar, and he wasn't completely confident in his ability to fend off his enemies any more. He'd vastly underestimated the power that both Dawn and Willow now wielded, and the addition of the Charmed Ones to the mix had taken him completely by surprise. Add to that the rumblings in the Underworld about some new Power, the Avatars or somesuch, plus the news that the Goa'uld seemed to be losing ground steadily to the Taur'i and the Jaffa rebellion, and that equals one grumpy Immortal Goa'uld.

He'd spent the last few months trying to come up with a way to take down Buffy and her crew. He no longer cared about world domination, he simply wanted revenge. He'd lost almost everything, nearly 10,000 years worth, to that accursed Slayer, and he was going to make her pay. Her, and everyone she cared for.

And now, after nearly three months of searching, he'd found what he was looking for. His secret weapon.

As he stood chanting in front of a bonfire, he couldn't help but be insufferably pleased with himself.

_Let them come...

* * *

_

Somewhere, up _there_, in a place that is _other, _a group of Higher Beings looked on.

"It's really gonna go down, ain't it?" asked Whistler. The Being standing at the front of the group nodded solemnly. Whistler shook his head sadly.

"Those kids can't catch a break, can they?"

* * *

Angel, Jon and Xander had gotten things organised quickly. The thought that they might finally be able to take down Cerephus had galvanised everybody.

Dawn was helping Spike load weapons into the various pockets of the overcoat he'd 'borrowed' on his last visit to the SGC. Faith, irked that she had to stay behind, was bouncing around the room helping the Slayers get their own weapons ready. Dana was following her around, lending a hand whereever she could. She wasn't allowed to fight yet, so she chipped in as much as possible otherwise.

Having gotten everybody loaded up, all they could do now was wait. Faith plopped down in a chair beside Angel. "Damn. I could take on a dozen vamps and my back wouldn't hurt this much."

Xander grinned and gave her shoulder a pat. "Aww, is poor widdle Faithy gettin' the pwegnant Slayer blues?" Faith slugged him in the shoulder and rolled her eyes.

Looking around the room at the impatient strike force, Faith sighed. "You really think you guys can take him down this time, Fang?"

"We're sure as Hell gonna try. Cerephus has caused enough grief. We'll get him. One way or another."

Dana, sitting on the floor next to Faith, scrunched up her face. "Who did you say?"

"Cerephus. The Immortal."

Dana stood up and locked her eyes on Angel. "Cerephus? The Goa'uld Cerephus? The same Goa'uld that was Ra's chief architect? _That_ Cerephus?" she asked, her voice tight, the hesitation usually present in her speech gone.

Angel cast an uncertain glance at Faith, who shrugged. "Um, yeah, that's the one. Why?"

"He killed us." Dana shook her head, then went on in a more normal tone. "I mean, he's killed at least twenty Slayers over the years, starting with Ammenorah and Elene." She closed her eyes, letting the ancient memories come to the fore. "He captured Ammenorah when she tried to kill Ra. Tortured her. For months. Learned all about Slayers and such from her before she died. Elene and their Watcher Kartha led the Uprising. She died fighting him. He was injured in the fight, and took Kartha as his host."

Dana opened her eyes, anger flashing in them. "I want to go with you. I want to help you stop him. For all the Slayers he's killed, and for Kartha." Her tone brooked no argument, and Faith, seeing the determination in Dana's eyes, couldn't help but agree.

Angel wasn't quite so sure. "Are you sure? She hasn't been in the field yet..."

Faith held up a hand. "Fang, girlfriend here's got more experience packed min her noggin than everybody in this room combined."

"I know that. Fought her once, remember? She's got the know-how, but she hasn't had much practice putting it to use."

Dana raised an eyebrow. "She's right here..."

"Sorry." Angel sighed. "Okay. Fine. But you stay close to Dawn and Spike, alright? And if we tell you to run, you run. Deal?"

"Deal." Dana smiled and headed off to pick out her gear.

Angel sighed again. "I hope we aren't making a huge mistake here, Faith."

Faith stared after Dana, worry plain on her face. "Me too."

Just then, Buffy came into the room, followed by Gunn and Gwen. All three seemed to be out of breath. Buffy had tears in her eyes. Faith gave Buffy a knowing look. "They finally told you about the spell, huh?" Gunn and Gwen started laughing again. Buffy fell down.

Xander stared down at the guffawing Slayer, confusion plain on his face. "Huh?" Buffy waved a hand helplessly. Gunn's explanation was cut short when Giles came running into the room with the three witches on his heels.

"We found him! He's-" Giles trailed off at the sight of Buffy on the floor laughing. "Oh, good grief, are you still on about that?" Buffy could only snort in response. Giles rolled his eyes and turned to face the room. "As I was saying, we've found him. He's in the desert near Las Vegas, at the site of an ancient temple. The temple was destroyed long ago, but there is still a great deal of mystical energy present there. We believe he is attempting some kind of spell, so if Buffy is quite finished with her hysterics, we really should be off."

Buffy stepped forward, wiping the tears from her eyes. "Okay. When we get there, our resident witches will do a spell to keep Snake-Head from teleporting out. Half of us will orb in with Paige, the rest with Mom. Once we're there, we smack him down with everything we've got. If we can somehow save the host, great, but the main goal has to be stopping Cerephus. So if you get a shot, take it. Got it? Good. Let's get it done."

As the two groups started to form up, Angel pulled Joyce off to one side. He was rubbing his forehead. "Another vision?"

Angel nodded. "Yeah, just now. It was... chaotic. I'm not sure what's gonna happen, but I saw fire. Lots of fire. And there was screaming. And something powerful. Dark, evil, and powerful."

"So we're probably walking into a trap?"

"Good chance."

"Gonna let them in on what you saw?"

Angel looked over his shoulder. "No. We have to do this. But a word of caution wouldn't hurt."

Joyce nodded, then walked over to stand next to Buffy and Willow. "Are we ready?" A chorus of yes's and yeah's. "Good. Let's form into circles, with everybody facing out. Remember, this guy is strong, and he probably knows we're coming. So be ready for anything."

The circles formed. Joyce rested her hand on Buffy's shoulder. "Ready, sweetie?"

"Ready, willing and able. Well, ready and able. Okay, able, not so sure about the ready part..."

Joyce smiled, then nodded at Paige. "Let's do this."

* * *

Chapter the Seventh

There was a cascade of light, and suddenly this little portion of the desert got very crowded. Cerephus was easy to spot. He was standing next to a huge bonfire with his arms upraised, chanting in some ancient tongue that even Giles was unfamiliar with. On Buffy's signal, a hail of weaponry and zat fire rained down on his position only to be repelled by his shield.

"Figures," said Buffy. She turned to Willow, Dawn, Paige and Bethany. "Your turn." The three witches started chanting the spell to bind Cerephus' powers while Dawn cut loose with bolt after bolt of energy trying to overload the shield. Any of the group that had a zat fanned out around Cerephus and began firing into the shield as well. Jon, who had 'borrowed' a rocket launcher from the SGC, loaded it up and started blasting away at the shield too. The area around the Goa'uld quickly became an inferno.

Buffy caught Giles' attention. "What's he trying to do?"

"I'm not sure. I believe he's trying to conjure something, but I have no idea what. I don't recognise the language he's using at all."

Illyria, who'd been throwing boulders at the shield, walked over. "He is speaking one of the ancient tongues, one that has not been spoken on this plane for millions of years. It is the Black Speech, the tongue of Sauron and the Nazgul."

"Well, _that _can't be good," said Buffy, wide-eyed.

"Can you tell what he's doing?" asked Giles.

Illyria cocked her head to one side, listening. "He is attempting to summon something. I cannot say what, I cannot here him clearly through all the noise."

Willow called to Buffy through the Wiccan Mind Meld. _Buffy, I don't think his shield is weakening at all, and the binding spell isn't working either._

Buffy stood there for a few seconds, deep in thought, then sent out the signal to cease fire. As the noise and flames faded away, Cerephus could be seen standing there calmly, staring out at his attackers. There was a smug grin on his face, and malevolence shown in his eyes. "So, Slayer. Come to try again, have you? You and all your friends with all your little toys?" He turned to the witches. "Having a bit of trouble with your spell?"

Willow shot him a glare. "Oh, shut up. Why is it that all of you bad guys always have to do the gloating thing?"

Cerephus shrugged. "It's in the handbook."

Dawn nudged Spike. "There's a handbook?" Spike gave a half shrug, then waved off the question, concentrating on what was going on.

Buffy took a step forward. "What're you up to, Snake-Boy?"

Cerephus touched a hand to his chest and affected a shocked expression. "Up to? Me? Whyever would you think that?"

"You were working a summoning spell. So, we figure that means you're trying to summon something. Which can't be a good thing. So again I ask, what are you up to?" Buffy had moved within ten feet of him and stood there, clenching and unclenching her fists.

"Ah, ever the clever Slayer, aren't you? You're quite right, of course. But you'll forgive me if I would rather keep the surprise to myself. When it arrives, it should be so very entertaining." His grin widened, and he started to chuckle. Buffy thought it was the nastiest sound she'd ever heard.

Joyce, who had stayed clear of the action, had a brainstorm. She dismissed it at first, thinking it would never work, but finally decided to mgive it a try anyway. _Why didn't I think of this before? Hope it works... _She held out a hand and yelled, "Symbiote!"

Cerephus, feeling the tingling as the Goa'uld started to orb out of his body, looked horrified. With a strangled "No!" he collapsed as the symbiote appeared in Joyce's hand, squirming.

Joyce stared at it disgustedly. _Oh, gross. Didn't think this through, did I? _"Buffy! Over here!" She held the wriggling creature up, holding it tightly as it screeched and tried to break her grasp.

Buffy grabbed Dawn and ran over to their mother. "Mom, throw it up. Dawnie, you zap it." On Dawn's nod, Joyce tossed the Goa'uld straight up and dropped to the dirt. Dawn loosed one of her patented Demon-Duster blasts, completely vaporising it.

And, as quickly as that, Cerephus the Goa'uld was no more. It seemed a bit anti-climactic.

Buffy threw an arm around her mother's shoulders, laughing with relief. "Way to go Ma! Didn't know you had it in you, did ya?" Joyce shook her head no as she tried to wipe the slime on her hands off onto her pants.

Jon was looking around as some of the Slayers started laughing. "Is it over? Did we win?"

From behind him, a hoarse voice spoke up. "No. It isn't over. And it's about to get a whole lot worse." Everybody turned to look at the haggard man slowly making his way to his feet.

Dana walked over and helped him up. "Kartha. It is good to see you free at last." She was speaking ancient Egyptian. Dana shook her head, then continued in English. "Sorry. Ammenorah kinda took over for a second there. Are you okay?"

The oldest Immortal straightened up, testing muscles he hadn't controlled for ten thousand years. "No. But I will be, now that that accursed snake is gone." He bowed his head to Joyce. "I thank you for that, White-Lighter."

A group quickly gathered around him. "What'd you mean when you said things were about to get worse?" asked Buffy.

Kartha took a deep breath to steady himself. "The beast that he summoned will be here shortly. It is a power the likes of which you have never encountered before."

"So what is it?"

Before the Immortal could answer, the ground began to tremble, causing many of the group to fall, and a tremendous roar could be heard coming from the earth beneath their feet.

Buffy grabbed Giles as he almost fell into a chasm that opened up at his feet. "Oh, _this _should be fun," she hollered over the noise.

And then, it was there. Clawing its ponderous way up through the earth, it thrust itself out into the night air. The rumbling stopped. The shaking subsided. A deathly silence descended over the desert as the great beast stood there, taking in its surroundings.

And then, it spread its wings, roared, and burst into flames.

Dawn, wide eyed, summed up the feelings of all those present: "Oh, crap!"

* * *

Chapter the Eighth

Buffy, rather wide-eyed herself, was backing away along with everybody else. "Maybe I've been spending to much time around Andrew, but that thing looks an awful lot like one of those bullfrog thingies from The Lord of the Rings."

"Balrog," corrected Kartha. "And it is."

Buffy stopped in her tracks. " WHAT?"

Kartha gestured at the beast. "It's a Balrog. A true demon of the Ancient World. A warrior of the Old Ones. Cerephus found a way to summon it."

"You're kidding, right?"

Illyria had stopped next to them. "He speaks the truth." For the first time that Buffy could remember, she could see fear in the God-king's eyes. "We must stop the creature now. If we can."

"And if we can't?" Buffy asked. The pained look Illyria gave her in reply told her all she needed to know. "Swell. Here we go again. Dawn!"

"Yo?"

"Blast the big bad beastie, would ya?"

"Yeahsureyoubetcha." Dawn floated up, getting a clear shot at the Balrog, building up the power for a Demon-Duster. She fired off what was probably her most powerful blast yet, hitting the Balrog dead in the chest.

It blinked.

Then, scratching at the spot where the blast struck it, it bellowed and charged at the people closest to it.

Dawn summed it all up again. "Oh, crap..."

From somewhere, the Balrog produced a sword, flames flickering along its blade, and attacked. The Slayers it went after didn't stand a chance. The flaming sword crashed through their weapons like tissue paper, and five young Slayers lay dead on the sand.

Kartha grabbed Buffy. "You need to get the Slayers clear. If they have any long range weapons, tell them to have at it, but they'll be cut to ribbons if they try to take it head on." Buffy gestured to Joyce, who started orbing the Slayers and Immortals over to a nearby bluff.

Buffy turned back to Kartha and Illyria. "How can we take this thing out?"

"Dawn and the witches. If they all work together, they might have enough power to destroy it," said Illyria.

"I think I can help with that. I might not be as strong as I was with that damn snake in me, but I should still be able to work most of the magic that Cerephus was able to," said Kartha.

Buffy looked at him hopefully. "Enough to send it back?"

"No. I'm not sure it _can _be sent back. We'll have to destroy it. Somehow."

"Peachy." Buffy sank into the meld. _Dawn, you keep hitting it with everything you've got. Willow, you three get with Kartha here and try to work some mojo. The rest of us'll try to keep it busy. _Not that she had a clue how to do that.

Jon was blasting away at it with the rocket launcher, and there were so many zat blasts coming at it that it seemed as though the Balrog was standing in the middle of a lightning storm. Mostly, it just seemed to be making it angrier.

Dawn flew around behind it and started blasting away at it, staggering it, but still not enough to knock it down. Kartha, Bethany and Paige were trying to come up with a spell. Willow, listening in on their conversation through the meld, floated up to see if she could help Dawn, firing off a few energy balls of her own. They didn't have any more effect on the Balrog than anything else they'd tried.

_This is bad, _Willow thought. _Real bad. _She frowned. She could only think of one way to stop it, and it scared her right to the core. _Come up with something guys. Please. _

Illyria had managed to steal in close to the beast unseen. Moving up quickly out of its line of sight, she struck it with all the force she could muster. It screamed in pain and swung blindly, catching her with a glancing blow that sent her flying thirty yards, barely conscious. Angel rushed to her side. She was covered in burns and bleeding from a long gash down the left side of her face.

As he helped her sit up, he shook his head. "That wasn't too bright now, was it?"

Illyria gave him a smile that reminded him so much of Fred that it nearly broke his heart. "Not the best idea I've had lately, no. But I think I hurt it."

"Yeah. Not enough, though."

Dawn had hit the Balrog with a more powerful blast. She thought she might have caused dome damage this time, but she wasn't sure. She was starting to run out of gas. As strong as she was, and she was getting stronger every day, she still had her limits. Deciding that maybe Illyria had the right idea, Dawn dove in to hit the beast herself.

It was a mistake. The Balrog saw her coming. Swinging its whip, it caught Dawn around her legs with several of the thongs and yanked her in, backhanding her and driving her into the ground. It jerked back on the whip, pulling her up, then swung her around a few times before slamming her back into the ground again.

Dawn lay there in a daze. The Balrog stomped over to where she lay half buried in the sand and thrust its cloven foot down onto the helpless girl, trying to crush her. Dawn, unable to do anything else, screamed.

Joyce tried to orb Dawn away from the beast, but couldn't. The Balrog was somehow able to resist orbing. Dawn's screams grew weaker with each passing second.

Suddenly, with a blinding flash of white light, the Balrog was thrown clear of Dawn and sent tumbling.

Floating in the air where the Balrog had been standing was Willow. White light radiated from her, lighting the whole area around. Willow looked down at Dawn, then over at Joyce, who gasped at the sight of the burns on Willow's face and arms. She heard Willow's voice in her mind. _Help her, Joyce. She's in a bad way._

And then, in a blur of pure white light, she turned and went after the Balrog.

Kennedy and Xander screamed after her not to do it.

Willow shut herself off from the meld, shutting out everything but the Balrog. She knew this had to end here and now. She could feel the Balrog's true power, and it terrified her. Being newly awakened, it was still weak. More powerful than anything they'd ever faced before, but weaker now than it ever would be again. If it got away, she wasn't sure if there was anything that would be able to stop it, and since she wasn't seeing Gandalf anywhere, it fell to her.

She'd been holding back for a while now. The Power she'd tapped into when she awakened the Slayers was vast, unbelievably so, and she had been slowly but surely learning how to master it, but carefully, oh so carefully. Too much too fast and she would have been overwhelmed.

But now, she surrendered herself to it. Whatever it took, she had to stop this thing. Letting herself go, the Power suffused her, until even the pain from the burns faded away. She attacked the Balrog furiously, raining blow after blow on it, blasting it with magycks that even it was unable to resist, steadily beating it back, weakening it.

But not without a cost. The Balrog fought back viciously. It hit, kicked, clawed, and bit. It blasted her with fire, and struck at her with its sword and whip. Within minutes she'd received at least a dozen mortal wounds. The burns alone should have already killed her.

But still she fought on.

The ground around them shook, and thunderous blasts rocked the nearby mountains. Seismometers thousands of miles away registered it as a series of small earthquakes. Only the protection spell that Bethany, Paige and Kartha had managed to erect kept Willow's friends from being killed.

They fought on.

Willow could feel herself dying. Her body was becoming a shell, a vessel for the Power that was both her salvation and her doom. She didn't have long left. _I wonder if this is what it felt like for Fred? _The Balrog was weakening, its counterattacks becoming desperate, but she could tell that it was going to out last her if she didn't do something spectacular pretty darned quick.

She heard, quietly, a voice in the back of her mind, whispering a solution. A very final solution. _Is that really the only way? _In her minds eye she could see all the possible ways to defeat a Balrog, but none of them were available to her, at least not before the beast killed everyone here and went on a rampage. _Guess so..._ Opening herself to the meld , she sent her love to her friends, her family.

_I love you. Take care of each other..._

She flew in and grabbed the Balrog, wrapping her arms around it. _Hello, ugly._

She closed her eyes and released the last tenuous hold she had on her body. _Good-bye, ugly..._

There came a soundless explosion of light, brighter than the noonday sun, blinding all those around. And then it was over.

The Balrog was gone.

As was Willow.

Kennedy was the first to break the silence when she fell to her knees, screaming, unable to believe what had just happened. Xander just kept shaking his head, totally lost in denial. Buffy stood there, shocked, feeling as though her body had gone completely numb.

No one present could bring themselves to think it, but they all knew it to be true.

As Buffy sat down hard, overcome with tears, it sank home.

Willow was dead, and the world suddenly seemed a great deal darker.

* * *

Chapter the Ninth

Somewhere, up _there_, Willow opened her eyes and looked around. "Umm... am I dead?"

"Yes," a booming voice answered from somewhere behind her. "But then again, no."

Her eyebrows went up. "Yes and no? Whadda ya mean, yes and no?" She tried to see who was talking to her, but all she could see was the hazy mist that seemed to be everywhere. And also that in spite of the fact that she felt as though she were lying on a bed, there wasn't actually anything under her.

"It's... well, it's complicated..."

"Oh, swell. My life wasn't screwed up enough, _nooooo_, now even my after-life gets to be all fun-and-gamey." She struggled to sit up, but seemed to be having trouble getting her muscles to function properly.

"Doesn't have to be. Here, let me help you..." A man faded into view next to her. He gave her a friendly smile and helped her to sit up. "Thirsty?"

Willow suddenly realised she was parched. "Yeah." Apparently dying dried one out. The man waved a hand and a glass of water appeared in front of Willow. "Umm, thanks."

"No problem."

Willow found she had to concentrate incredibly hard to lift the glass to her lips. The water tasted better than anything she'd ever drank in her whole life. "So. Am I only kinda dead, or what?"

The man shrugged. "It's a point of view thing, I suppose."

"Thanks Obi-Wan. Cryptic much?"

"Sorry. Habit. How's about we start over, hmm?" He held out his hand, which Willow took tentatively. "Name's God. Pleased to meet you."

"Huh?"

"God. Jehovah. Allah. Pick a name, any name, I can't keep track of 'em all. Just please not that stupid 'I Am' nonsense. Shoulda put a plague of boils on the butt of the idiot that came up with _that_ one..."

Willow couldn't help herself and giggled. "Okay. So you're supposed to be God. _The_ God. Since you're touching me, I'm going to assume you're not the First, but I'm having a little trouble believing that you are who you say you are."

God shrugged, laughing. "Yeah. Get that a lot."

As they were talking, Willow realised that his appearance had slowly been changing. He looked more feminine now, and seemed to be shifting farther toward that form all the time. "Umm, I don't mean to offend or anything, but what's with the sex change?"

He/She looked down at Him/Herself. "What? Oh, that. Part of that point of view thing, I guess. You've always imagined me as female, so that's how you see me."

"Oh."

"Feeling a little better?"

Willow shifted around a bit, finding it slightly easier to move. "Yeah. A little. What's the deal with that, anyway?"

"Your body was completely destroyed when you took out the Balrog. Had to build you a new one. Like anything else brand-new, there's a bit of a breaking-in period."

Willow gave Her an incredulous stare. "New body?"

God nodded.

Willow looked down at herself. "Same as the old body?"

"Looks the same. Works better, though. This one can contain your Power. Maybe keep you from going all blooey again." God made an exploding gesture with Her hands.

"That _would_ be a plus..."

"I thought so."

Willow sat there for a minute, poking at her leg with one finger. It certainly felt real enough. "Are my friends okay?"

"Yes. They're grieving, but you saved them. That was an amazing thing you did, Willow Rosenberg."

"As long as they're all right. What about Kennedy and Xander?"

God sat down next to her and sighed. "They're taking it hard."

Willow squeezed her eyes shut, fighting the tears. God wrapped Her arms around her and held her as she sobbed. After a few minutes, Willow sniffed and sat back. "So, what's next? If I'm not quite dead, then I figure there's a catch, right?"

"Not a catch. A choice. You have two options, Willow. Which way you go from here is up to you."

Willow couldn't help but be a bit surprised at that. "So, umm, what are my options?"

"One: Go on to your Rest. You've fought the good fight, and fought it well. You may have stumbled a bit along the way, but the good you've done far outweighs any mistakes you might have made. You've earned your Rest, child, and Heaven is waiting for you if that's what you choose."

"Heaven?"

"Yes."

"Wow. Kinda scared to ask, but what's option B?"

"Ascend. Become the goddess you've always been destined to become. Then go back to your friends and keep on fighting the good fight."

"A goddess?"

"Yup."

_"Me?"_

"Uh huh."

"Seriously?"

"Does this look like the face of a kidder?"

"Whoa..."

"Kick in the pants, huh?"

"Little bit, yeah."

Willow sat there, wide-eyed for a while. "Can I have some time to think about this?"

God nodded. "Certainly. Take all the time you need. You'd be nuts _not _to. Big decision, after all."

Willow sat there, thinking and pondering, for an eternity. Well, more like ten minutes, but you know how long ten minutes can feel like when you're waiting. Finally, Willow looked up and grinned.

"So, what's a gal gotta do to get all god-ified up around here, anyway?"

* * *

Chapter the Tenth

Buffy, sitting behind her desk staring out the window, didn't turn when she heard a knock at her door. "Come in."

Kartha came in and stopped beside the desk. "Am I interrupting?"

"Nope," Buffy said, still staring out the window. It had been two weeks since the fight with the Balrog. The fight where they'd lost nine Slayers. And Willow.

Willow's loss was an open wound that wasn't growing any easier to bear. The very air around the hotel seemed to weigh heavily on all those present. Xander and Dawn had both fallen into a deep depression. Kennedy had disappeared. Even Faith was morose.

Kartha gestured to a chair. "Mind if I sit?"

"Nope."

He pulled a chair around and sat down near her. "I'm sorry I haven't been in to see you before now. I seem to be rather in demand. World's oldest living Immortal and all that." He shook his head tiredly at the thought of all the tests he'd been subjected to over the last two weeks, as well as the never ending questions.

Buffy smiled, just a little. "Everybody wants a piece, huh?"

"Yes." He sighed. "I'm so very sorry about Miss Rosenberg. She was something special. Even that damn snake respected her."

Her smile faded. "Special. Yeah, she was that. And so much more..."

Kartha gave her a moment, then continued on. "I, um, have come to offer my services as a Watcher. I know I've been out of the loop for a while, but I feel I can help out around here. That is, if my continued presence won't be to bothersome. I do fear that I might be an unwelcome reminder of... well, of a great many bad things."

Buffy sat there, not saying anything for several minutes before she finally turned to him. "None of what happened was your fault. In fact, if it wasn't for you, we'd probably still have Ra around giving us grief. As far as I'm concerned, if you want back in, you're in. But we'll have to talk to Giles first, I guess."

"Actually, he felt that I should ask you. I mean, I did kill you once. More or less."

"Oh. Yeah. Remind me to smack you for that sometime."

"I'll be sure to mark it on my calendar."

Buffy laughed, quietly. "Well, like I said, you're in. Welcome to the madhouse. Be sure to get measured for your straightjacket."

Kartha chuckled. "Always wanted one of those."

"They're very much the style these days."

Just then, the door slammed open. Kennedy stood there, wide-eyed and breathing heavily. "She's coming back!"

Buffy, who had jumped up when the door opened, was staring at Kennedy as though she were trying to decide if the younger Slayer was insane or not. "Who's coming back?"

"Willow! She's coming back!"

Buffy walked over and took Kennedy's hand. "Kennedy, sweetie, have you maybe had a few drinks?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"Willow's gone, Kennedy. She's dead."

Kennedy rolled her eyes and gave Buffy a 'Duh!' look. "No kidding. I was there. Hence the 'coming back' statement. Were you not paying attention?" Kartha couldn't help himself and laughed.

Buffy shot him a dirty look and turned back to the excited Slayer. "Okay, maybe you oughta fill me in. What do you mean, she's coming back?"

"That Whistler guy- you remember him? Anyway, Whistler showed up and filled me in. Told me a whole buncha stuff about multi-verses and dimensions and stuff. Said it was important. Anyway, he told me that Willow was up there right now, getting all trained up on how to be a goddess. She's a goddess, Buffy! A real-life, honest to God goddess! And she's coming back, she actually _chose _to come back to help us fight the bad guys!"

Kennedy stopped, having run out of wind. Buffy stood there, stunned. Kennedy pulled Buffy into a bone-crushing hug.

_"She's coming back!"

* * *

_

Chapter the Eleventh

The next few months seemed to fly by. There were no major crises, and only a few minor ones. The PTB's confirmed what Whistler had told Kennedy in a vision sent to Angel. And, while no one knew exactly when their resident goddess would be returning, the knowledge that she was in fact coming back seemed to reinvigorate the entire place.

Kennedy walked around for weeks with a huge grin plastered on her face. You couldn't have chiseled it off with a jackhammer.

* * *

Spike and Dawn went to Cleveland late in October. There had been a sudden increase in vampire activity, so they decided to go help out. Spike had a ball on Halloween passing out candy to the trick-or-treaters while wearing his game-face. The kids loved it.

It turned out that a group of vamps had made up their minds to take over Cleveland, and were creating minions as fast as they could, going for numbers. The problem was solved with one raid. Spike, spoiling for a good brawl, was disappointed. "Too damn easy..." Dawn had simply rolled her eyes and dragged him off to go clubbing.

* * *

Buffy took Gwen Raiden with her to Colorado Springs to meet Samantha Carter. Carter had been intrigued when Buffy told her about Gwen's chip, and eagerly agreed to see what she could do to improve it's life-expectancy. She did love tinkering with cool technology, after all. Not only did she manage to work out a number of bugs, she was also able to improve Gwen's control of the device, allowing her to access her powers without having to completely disable the chip. Buffy and Jack snuck off to the lake near the Alpha-site for a few days. When they returned to England, both women were in incredibly good moods, if for rather different reasons.

The Council of Guardians was now an officially recognised entity. They even had insurance. Buffy, upon receiving her ID badge, spent the day flashing it at every person she ran into. She just couldn't get over it:

BUFFY SUMMERS

VICE PRESIDENT, GUARDIAN INC.

It was just unreal. _I'm a freakin' vice-president!

* * *

_

Lorne decided he liked it in England, and opened up Caritas III a few blocks away from the hotel. It rapidly grew to be a local hotspot, especially with the Guardian crew. He even managed to get Faith and Spike to come and sing fairly regularly. Any night that one of them was singing was usually standing room only. Faith enjoyed it immensely, since she was now well into the third trimester, and was unable to do much more than waddle from one place to the next.

* * *

Anise stayed until mid-December, when she was recalled by the Tok'ra, but Na'reen and Aht'ell elected to remain on Earth to continue their training with the Slayers. Cassie Fraiser commuted between the Springs and Devon frequently. She wanted to finish high school in the states, but also wanted to maintain close ties with her Slayer sisters as well.

SG-30 rapidly earned a reputation for kicking ass and taking names, and became quite popular around the SGC. In a three month period, they found forty-two Slayers offworld, eighteen of which decided to come to Earth to train. Jack, having received the okay, started recruiting for SG's 31 and 32. Much to the delight of most of the male contingent at the SGC. And a few of the females, too.

* * *

Kartha, who had worried he might not fit in, found himself right at home in the new Council, and never wanted for something to do. He was always busy, helping with training, or teaching, or talking technology with Sam Carter, or history with Daniel and Giles. After ten thousand years buried beneath the will of Cerephus, this was heaven to the ancient Immortal.

Methos, some six thousand years younger than Kartha, started insisting, loudly and regularly, that MacLeod stop calling him 'old man'. Duncan just laughed it off. He got far too much enjoyment out of provoking Methos. Besides, Methos was forever stealing all his beer.

Giles and Kartha spent a great deal of their spare time together, sometimes simply talking about the history the Immortal had witnessed, but more often than not trying to find clues to an old riddle that had fascinated Giles for years, and apparently had been something of an obsession for Cerephus as well. Something to do with an ancient cult known as 'The Conclave' and a possible apocalypse. Cerephus had been searching for answers for hundreds of years, with little luck. It was widely thought that The Conclave didn't actually exist, and there wasn't much in the way of proof that it did.

* * *

Most of the crew went home for Christmas, but most everybody was back in time for Lorne's New Year's Eve Blowout. It was huge. A grand time was had by all, although there were a fair number who had trouble remembering it the next day. Even Teal'c got plastered. And a plastered Teal'c is a funny Teal'c. Jack laughed so hard that the next day he swore he pulled a muscle. Dawn and Spike, who had helped Lorne arrange everything, were inseparable the whole night. Xander, his curiosity finally getting the better of him, cornered them.

"Okay. What's the deal with you two?"

Dawn gave him a confused (and slightly tipsy) look. "Deal? What deal?"

"Whadda ya mean, Seein' Boy?" asked Spike in an equally tipsy tone.

"You two. You're always together. Everytime I see you guys, it's always _you guys_," Xander said waving a hand at both of them. "I swear to God, sometimes I think you two are joined at the hip. Hence the question: What's the deal with you two?"

Dawn was looking blearily down at her hips. "Soooo not joined at the hip. See?" She swished her hand back and forth between her and Spike, who couldn't seem to stop giggling.

Xander rolled his eyes. "Are. You. A. Couple. Or. Not."

"A coupla what?" Dawn asked, giggling right along with the inebriated vampire.

Xander took a deep breath and counted to ten. Slowly. "Dating. Are you two dating? As in boyfriend and girlfriend. A couple."

Dawn and Spike stared at each other. "Dating?" said Dawn.

"Boyfriend 'n girlfriend?" said Spike.

"Think we should?" asked Dawn.

"Could be fun," answered Spike.

"Dawn and Spike. Spike and Dawn," Dawn sing-songed.

"Like the sound of that, pet."

Dawn pulled a face. "Buffy won't."

"Probably not." Spike shrugged. "I won't worry 'bout it if you won't."

"Okey-dokey. Oooooh, since you're all ring-having nowadays, you can take me on a picnic!"

Spike gave her a manic grin. "Long as we can ride me motorcycle, I'm all for it."

"Kewl." Dawn hooked her arm through Spike's. "C'mon, let's go plan this out, boyfriend. Thanks, Xan. We hadn't even thought about dating till you said something." The newly minted couple headed out onto the dance floor, chatting happily away about picnics.

Angel, who had overheard the whole thing, stepped up next to Xander. "That went well."

"Oh, yeah. Well. Wonderfully. Grandly did it go. I think I'll just bee off to slit my wrists with a dull rusty knife now..."

"Probably kinder than what Buffy'll do to you when she hears about this."

"Yeah..."

* * *

Buffy wasn't happy about her sister's relationship. Very not happy. Joyce stepped in though, and proved to be Spike's biggest advocate. Buffy decided that she'd give them a chance, and after making the obligatory 'beat you to death with a shovel' threat, gave her blessing.

* * *

On a sunny afternoon late in January, Faith went into labor. She calmly walked into Buffy's office, where Buffy, Robin, Dawn, Giles, Joyce, and several other people were having a meeting, and quietly announced: "It's time."

Now, have you ever seen those movies where as soon as the pregnant lady goes into labor, everyone around her starts running around and panicking, completely forgetting everything they're supposed to be doing? Well, picture that. Times ten. Everybody in the room jumped to their feet, talking all at once, and commenced running around madly, just like in the movies, bailing out the door, some going after Faith's hospital bag, some going to get the car, some just going. The room cleared out in record time.

And there stood Faith. Rolling her eyes, she calmly headed down the hall. _Probably get there quicker if I just call a cab..._

Six hours later, Hope Kendra and Joy Nikki were born less than ten minutes apart. As the nurses gently laid the newborn girls in Faith's arms, Faith could feel tears in her eyes. This was a _moment_. One of those monumental, mind-blowing, life-altering moments. In her arms were two little lives that she helped create. Two souls that depended on her for everything. The two most beautiful things she'd ever laid eyes on. From that day on, if she'd try to describe how she felt in that moment, that first time she held her daughters in her arms, she would find herself at a loss for words. How do you describe indescribable joy? It's one of those things that only a parent can ever truly understand.

But in that moment, Faith got it. All of her self doubt melted away, replaced with a fierce resolve to do right by her children. Her precious baby girls. And in that moment, all was right in the world.

* * *

Faith sat in her new rocking chair, humming quietly, Joy nursing noisily away at her breast. Buffy, Dawn, Spike and Joyce had come for a visit, and had been surprised to find Illyria there, staring in wonder at little Hope who was fast asleep in her arms.

Illyria gave them a nod in greeting. "Would you care to hold the child?"

Buffy, seeing the peaceful look on the Old One's face, shook her head. "Nah, that's alright Lyrie. We can wait." Illyria smiled and went back to gently rocking Joy.

Faith smiled at her visitors. "Don't worry B. Soon as Joy here finishes her supper, I'll let you have the priviledge of burping her."

"Gee, thanks F. She's the one that always spews all over me."

"I've trained her well," said Faith, smirking.

A bit later, Dawn noticed the sad expression on Buffy's face. "Why the long face, sis?"

"Just thinkin' about how this whole Immortal thing majorly sucks. I mean, sure, I can adopt all the kids I want to from now till Doomsday, but I can never have a baby of my own. It's _soooo_ not fair."

Faith snorted. "Aww, c'mon B. You've got the good job. You get to be Aunty Buffy. Your sole purpose in life is to spoil 'em rotten. I mean, look at ya! You're Immortal. You're gonna have the perfectly perky boobs of a twenty year old for, like, ever, and you're bitchin' about it. Geez."

Ignoring the snorts of laughter coming from the others, Buffy sat there and pondered what Faith had said for a minute. Finally, she hooked a finger in the collar of her blouse and looked down the front of her shirt. She quirked an eyebrow. "They _are_ perky, aren't they..."

Chapter the Last

God and Goddess stood side by side, staring down at the blue and green orb hanging in the ancient dark. It had been a little over four months since Whistler's conversation with Kennedy, months spent in what Willow had come to think of as 'Basic Godhood 101'.

God stirred, not taking His/Her eyes off the planet below. "So."

"Yeah."

"Ready to go, then?"

Willow sighed tiredly. "I guess."

"You don't sound terribly sure of yourself."

"Nervous. Scared. What if I screw up? There's just so much that I don't know yet. So many things I don't understand..."

God gave a little shrug. "One of the down sides to the whole godhood thing. There's only so much I can tell you, the rest you hafta learn as you go."

"Hey, I'm all for on-the-job training, but in this case I'd much rather take the book-learnin' route!"

"If the committee ever gets off their collective ass and prints a manual, I'll be sure to send you one."

Willow gave Her a sideways look. "There are committees in Heaven?"

God chuckled. "Willow, honey, there are committees _everywhere. _It's one of the Universal Constants."

They both laughed at that. Willow turned her attention back towards Earth, lost in thought. "You sure there isn't anything else you can tell me about this 'Darkness' that's coming? You haven't really given me a lot to work with, you know."

"I've told you all we know. Whatever it is, it's shrouded. Not even the most powerful of seers can see what's coming. Only that it _is_ coming. Sometime."

"Peachy."

"Yup." God turned to Willow, taking her hands. "It's time for you to return to your family, Willow. You're stronger than you know. You have one of the kindest hearts that I've ever known, and that's saying something. You can do this. I have faith in you. You just need to have faith in yourself. And remember, if you ever need to talk, you know how to find me."

Willow grinned. "Even three universes over."

God grinned right back. "Just a hop, skip and a jump away."

Willow closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Okay. I'm ready."

God placed a gentle kiss on her forehead, then stepped back. "Tell Kennedy I said hi." She snapped Her fingers, and Willow found herself standing in the room that she and Kennedy had shared.

The very dark room that she and Kennedy had shared. It was the middle of the night. Willow quietly walked over and sat down on the bed next to Kennedy's sleeping form. She sat there for several minutes, drinking in the sight of her love, overjoyed simply being in her presence. Finally, she reached out and gently shook her beloved Slayer.

"Baby? I'm back..."

* * *

NEVER THE END...

* * *

Holy crap! I finally finished it! And it only took me a year and a half... Think I'm gonna hafta do shorter fics from now on.

To all those who have read and especially those of you that reviewed, my heartfelt thanks. I can't tell you how much it means to me. I've already begun working on a couple of 'Guardian Chronicles' fics, although I'm not sure when I'll get the first one posted. It'll be a Tru Calling crossover, by the way.

I had originally intended to have Willow's death and ascension come in a later fic, but this story twisted and turned so many times that her death wound up finding its way into this fic. The great (and surprising) reaction I got to 'Existence' had a little to do with that.

To all you fanfic authors out there: Keep it up! The talent out there never ceases to amaze me. You've kept me entertained, and inspired, and I can't thank you enough for that.

All Hail the Goddess Willow!

later ;)

* * *

_'To thee no star be dark...'_


End file.
